Author: Nick Peers

MyHeritage Ltd has released Family Tree Builder 7.0, a major new version of its free Windows app for recording, managing and sharing a family tree. Version 7’s major new features tighten its links with the MyHeritage.com website by introducing two-way sync and providing access to the billions of historic records held at the website, some free, but most requiring a subscription.

Version 7.0 also implements full Unicode support, tweaks the user interface and extends language support to four additional countries in the Mid and Far East.

Family Tree Builder 7.0’s headline new feature is the implementation of two-way sync. Previously users could upload their tree to the MyHeritage.com servers — free account holders are limited to 250 individuals in their tree — but version 7.0 now makes it possible to download trees and tree changes back to the program, allowing users to update their tree using a combination of the website, Windows app and iOS app. All changes are then shared across the different builds when the user next performs a sync.

Practically all information is synced from the app, with the notable exceptions being DNA markers, SSN fields and any fields specifically marked as “private”.

Version 7.0 also replaces the existing Smart Research and WorldVitalRecords Search tools with Record Matching and SuperSearch tools. Both are linked to MyHeritage.com’s growing list of records, numbered in the billions, with the Record Matching tool performing background smart searches based on the information held in the user’s tree. A clickable button next to individuals alerts users to the existence of potential matches.

The new build has also been rewritten to support Unicode, which ensures that data can be entered in any language, allowing for a mix and match between languages in the program. This has led to a new file extension, UZED, being implemented to reflect Unicode projects.

Other changes include a minor facelift of the program interface, plus support for Chinese (both Traditional and Simplified), Japanese, Korean and Farsi languages. Replacing existing personal photos in the tree has been simplified, while support for BCE dates and options to display the husband/father’s first name or initial in his children’s or wife’s name have also been added. The update is rounded off with the usual non-specified bug fixes.

Family Tree Builder 7.0 is available now as a free download for PCs running Windows XP or later. Users will need to sign up with MyHeritage.com to use the program — free accounts are available, with paid-for premium versions extending the program’s functionality as well as providing more storage space online.

Piriform has released Defraggler 2.14.705 and Defraggler Portable 2.14.705, a minor, but noteworthy, update of its freeware defragging tool that allows users to both defrag entire drives and individual files.

Version 2.14 adds support for UDF file systems, plus allows users to defrag their drive’s free space on a schedule while also improving its search tools and navigation.

Users can now schedule the Defraggler 2.14 to defrag a drive’s free space at set intervals: simply select Settings > Schedule, then enable a schedule for the selected drive and choose Freespace or Freespace (allow fragmentation) from the ‘Defrag type:’ dropdown menu.

Multiple drives can now be analysed with a single click too: simply select the drives from the top pane using the [Ctrl] or [Shift] keys, then click the Analyze button to perform an analysis on each drive in turn. The results for each drive can then browsed as normal by clicking the drive’s entry.

Defraggler 2.14 extends its file-system support to UDF, which is commonly found on rewritable CDs and DVDs – this complements existing support for FAT/FAT32, NTFS and exFAT file systems.

Defraggler’s Search tool allows users to target specific files for defragmenting — the tool now implements better searching using wildcards. 64-bit Windows users should also find the shell extension options are improved too.

The GUI has been tweaked to provide better navigation, while a minor bug has been fixed in the monthly scheduler along with other non-specified minor improvements and bug fixes. Defraggler 2.14.705 and Defraggler Portable 2.14.705 are both available as freeware downloads for PCs running Windows XP or later.

Photo Credit: Sergey Mironov/Shutterstock

Piriform, Inc has released CCleaner for Mac 1.07.233, a minor refresh of its Mac freeware cleaning tool. Modelled closely on CCleaner 4.0 for Windows, version 1.07 sports the same refreshed program icons and interface tweaks as found in the latest Windows build, but also sports a number of new and improved features.

Notable improvements in this new release include better compatibility with OS X 10.5 (Leopard) and better cleaning speeds when running in the latest version of OS X 10.8 (Mountain Lion).

CCleaner for Mac 1.07.233 also promises improved cleaning of Safari items — currently the program supports cleaning the cache, history, cookies and download history. Cookie management has also been improved — users can individually select which cookies to delete and keep via the Options > Cookies section of the program.

The update is rounded off with minor GUI improvements and a number of unspecified bug fixes, and adds an in-app upgrade path for those wishing to purchase the Pro version — select CCleaner > About CCleaner to do so.

CCleaner 1.07 builds on improvements from the last release, which included faster cleaning of the Google Chrome cache, improved memory management in OS X 10.8 and the addition of a check for updates tool.

CCleaner for Mac 1.07.233 is available now as a freeware download for Macs running OS X 10.5 (Leopard) or later. Also available are CCleaner 4.0 and CCleaner Portable 4.0 for Windows, along with third-party tool CCEnhancer 3.7, which extends the Windows tool’s cleaning capabilities to over 900 programs.

Photo Credit: Goydenko Tatiana/Shutterstock

Facebook has released Facebook for iOS 6.0, a major update for its iPhone and iPad app. The major new feature in version 6 is the introduction of “chat heads”, which allow users to chat from anywhere in the app — this feature isn’t yet universally available, but should be rolled out to all users “soon”, according to Facebook.

Chat heads are small circular icons representing both individual chatters and Facebook Messages. The chat head appears automatically when receiving a message, or can be manually set up by tapping the contact’s name in the contacts list.

The chat heads float on top of the main Facebook window: users can continue to use other parts of Facebook such as the news feed, then resume chatting by tapping the appropriate chat head icon. Icons can be dragged into new positions on-screen, while users can temporarily close the chat window by tapping away from it. The chat head icon can be removed simply by tapping and dragging the chat head down on to the close button at the bottom of the screen.

The new feature is accompanied on the iPhone with the addition of support for inserting stickers — large smiley icons — into messages. Tap the smiley button to select one of 32 pre-included smiley faces, while more icons can be downloaded via the Sticker Store, which is accessible by tapping the blue basked icon. At the present time seven additional stickers are available — all free.

iPhone users also gain support for customizing their feed, with support for browsing new feeds like Music, Photos and Games.

While iPad users don’t gain stickers with this build, they will find the main screen has been redesigned to bring photos and other pictorial elements front and center. This mirrors developments made to the main Facebook.com news feed last month, a feature that Facebook claims populates the feed with “brighter, more beautiful stories”.

Facebook for iOS 6.0 is available now as a free download for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

Foxit Corporation has unveiled a dramatically updated version of its free PDF reader. Foxit Reader 6.0.2 adds PDF creation tools to the freeware software’s roster for the first time, plus unveils a revamped ribbon-based toolbar modelled on Microsoft Office 2013.

Also added to version 6.0 are PDF sign — support for handwritten signatures, the ability to create and insert stamps, read and search PDF Portfolios and integration with Evernote. The features see Foxit Reader 6.0 square up to pioneering freeware tool Nitro Reader 3.5.

The most radical new feature in Foxit Reader 6.0 is its comprehensive set of PDF creation tools. Users can now create PDFs directly from Word, PowerPoint and Excel via an add-on that appears in the Office ribbon. The new build is also capable of converting documents from hundreds of file types into PDF directly, plus bundles a virtual PDF printer driver for creating PDFs from any application, including unsupported ones.

Foxit Reader 6.0 is also capable of scanning documents directly into editable PDFs, whiles users can even generate new PDFs through content stored on the Windows clipboard.

The new build also sports a radically revamped look, designed to mimic the stripped back appearance of Microsoft Office 2013. This has led to a major reorganisation of existing ribbon tabs, with the addition of a new dedicated Share tab where users can easily share PDF documents via email, Facebook/Twitter and — new to version 6.0 — Evernote, for example.

Also added to version 6.0 is an additional way of signing documents, allowing users to bypass the existing DocuSign feature. A new PDF Sign feature allows users to create a handwritten signature, either from a previously scanned image file, the clipboard or by scribbling on-screen. Multiple signatures are supported.

Users can now also “stamp” documents with a number of pre-defined designs split into three categories: standard, “sign here” and dynamic. Users can view these via the Comments tab or open a new dedicated Stamps palette window. New stamps can also be created from scratch using existing image files.

The new version is joined by Foxit PhantomPDF Standard 6.0.2, which introduces paragraph editing, PDF form creation, the ability to edit scanned documents, drag-and-drop pages between documents, bundled desktop PDF index, improved file compression and PDF A, E and X Creation and Validation. PhantomPDF also gains the PDF Sign, support for reading and searching PDF portfolios and radical redesign found in Foxit Reader 6.0.

Foxit Reader 6.0.2 is available as a freeware download for PCs running Windows XP SP3 or later.Foxit PhantomPDF Standard 6.0.2 is available as a free trial download. PhantomPDF is available in two editions (the entry level PhantomPDF Express product has been dropped now its core functionality is incorporated into Foxit Reader), with the Standard edition costing $89, and the Business edition retailing for $129.

SugarSync, Inc has released SugarSync for iOS 4.0, a major new release for iPad and iPhone owners wishing access to their SugarSync cloud storage on the move. Version 4.0 features a major redesign designed to simplify syncing and sharing, plus integrates with other apps through the “Open in” feature.

The update also adds support for Device Filtering, a feature recently introduced in the SugarSync 2.0.9 desktop app for Windows and Mac, along with Cloud Search, and promises future support for folder labels.

The redesign in SugarSync 4.0 mirrors that found in the desktop and Android apps that were released in February. The aim is to streamline the app’s look and make it easier to navigate. In particular, the design is geared towards simplifying access to recently synced content from other devices, plus makes it easier to both share and view shared content from others thanks to new Shared by Me and Shared with Me tabs.

The iOS app also introduces support for the recently implemented Device Filter, which allows users to sync only specific folders to the cloud from their devices. This feature allows users to view all synced folders or restrict browsing to those shared with a specific computer or mobile.

The new feature has also inspired the Cloud Search tool, which makes it possible for users to search across their entire online storage, not just those folders synced with the iPad or iPhone. From here users can then choose to sync, share or view individual files.

SugarSync now fully supports the iOS “Open in” feature, which allows users to save content to their SugarSync storage from other apps such as Mail or Pages, plus open documents already stored on SugarSync’s servers in compatible apps on the iPad or iPhone.

The desktop update introduced folder labels, and support for this feature is promised in a future version. SugarSync for iOS 4.0.0 is available now as a free download, as are SugarSync 2.0.9 for Windows and Mac, and SugarSync for Android 4.0.1. SugarSync offers a free 5GB storage plan, as well as paid-for plans, with prices starting from $7.49 a month ($74.99 a year) for 60GB.

If you find Finder frustratingly limited, then you’ll be in the market for a replacement/enhancement tool. There are plenty of paid-for Finder enhancements out there, but over the past year or so they’ve been increasingly put to the shade by a fabulous, and rapidly developing, free tool called XtraFinder 0.16.1.

We’ve been checking back occasionally to see how XtraFinder is developing, and with version 0.16.1 now out, there have been a staggering 20 updates since we last looked at it back in September, so we thought it was the perfect time to bring you up to speed.

At its heart, XtraFinder adds two key tools to Finder windows to instantly make them more appealing: tabs and dual-panel windows. This makes it easy to browse multiple folders without opening a chaotic mess of separate windows, while dual-paned windows simplify the task of moving or copying files between two locations.

Since version 0.8.4 was released, the app has continued to add features and improve stability at a frightening pace – we use it daily on our Mac in preference to Finder itself, and have rarely run into problems with it. If you’ve held off installing XtraFinder since our last report, here are some of the new features that may tempt you to finally give it a whirl.

The tabs feature has improved significantly – not only is dragging the tab’s actual icon now supported, but you can also drop files on a tab to move them to its location. When in dual-panel mode, you can opt to show just one Sidebar to free up screen real-estate, plus middle-clicking on a Sidebar shortcut opens that location in its own tab. It’s also now possible to reopen closed tabs and even the Finder window itself.

You can also customise the tabs themselves: a new Opera option sits alongside the default Google Chrome look, while a narrow tabs option displays the tabs alongside the close/maximise/hide buttons rather than beneath them.

A number of new shortcuts have been added to the Finder menus: open a new Terminal (or iTerm/XTerm) window to the current location, hide the desktop and create a symbolic link. Another option allows users to customise the New File templates, while the Refresh option for refreshing a window’s contents can now be evoked from the context menu.

Other options include being able to have the Name column adjust automatically depending on contents, plus you can opt to add XtraFinder’s own functions to the toolbar and restore the colourful Sidebar icons to Lion and Mountain Lion. You can even customise the background and text colour of the Finder window itself.

Thankfully, despite the ever-increasing feature list, Trank Ny Am Software is sensible enough to make sure they’re all optional, so you can pick choose exactly which bits of XtraFinder you want, ensuring it works to your specifications and not the other way round.

XtraFinder 0.16.1 is available now as a freeware download for Macs running OS X 10.6 or later.

Photo Credit: Kachan Eduard/Shutterstock

Popular cross-platform, open-source VLC Media Player 2.0.6 has been released, focussing on fixing a number of regressions introduced in previous builds since its initial 2.0 release. The update also adds support for Matroska v4 files, tweaks the user interface on the OS X build and implements a new compiler for the Windows version.

VLC Media Player offers support for all major video and audio formats, and also supports playback from DVDs and unencrypted Blu-ray discs, making it an excellent choice for systems, including Windows XP and 8, where native support for video disc playback is missing.

The Matroska v4 (.MKV) file container is an open-source alternative to proprietary containers such as MP4 (Apple) and WMV (Microsoft), and version four, which was launched in September 2012, introduced new elements to improve time-coding and seek-positioning while retaining backward compatibility with previous versions of the file.

In addition to extending support to Matroska v4, VLC 2.06 also introduces a large number of important fixes for other formats, including MKV, Ogg, WMV, HTTPS and subtitle support where crashing may have occurred.

Other notable fixes included GPU decoding on Intel HD 2000/3000 graphic chipsets in Windows, a fix for HTTPS certificate rejections, ALAC decoding, FLAC 6.1/7.1 channel order and the vimeo parser.

The update also includes small unspecified tweaks and improvements to the OS X interface to build on those made in the previous release, numerous D-Bus and MPRIS2 improvements and a new Welsh translation to go with numerous other translation updates.

There’s also a new compiler for the Windows builder, taken from the MinGW-w64 project, which is probably in readiness for VLC releasing its first stable Windows 64-bit build from the current experimental editions being developed.

VLC Media Player 2.0.6 is available now as a free, open-source download for Windows, Mac and Linux. Also available is VLC for Android Beta.

Photo Credit: Leigh Prather/Shutterstock

Oracle has released VirtualBox 4.2.12, a maintenance update for its cross-platform, open-source virtualisation tool. A large number of fixes and updates have been applied, including dynamic support for multi-monitor setups via the Windows Additions.

There are also a notable number of GUI fixes concentrating on improving multi-screen support, including one that stops a crash when changing visual mode, and another that ensures OS X hosts display the correct menu bar in each machine window.

Further multi-screen related fixes ensure better handling of host/guest screen plugging and unplugging in different visual modes, plus fix a bug when empty seamless screens were represented by full-screen windows.

The VM Manager’s GUI has also been improved, with vertical scrollbars automatically updated when the content or window is resized. An event crash on changing the machine state has also been fixed, while warnings about the state (enabled or disabled) of mouse integration will no longer appear after VMs are restored from a saved state.

Other notable bug fixes should prevent disk size changes occurring when using snapshots thanks to incorrect alignment of VDI images. Linux hosts suffering from broken audio with ALSA or PulseAudio should also find this issue resolved.

The VBoxManage tool has also been tweaked for better stability, and Linux Additions now handle a fall-back to the standard VESA driver on RedHat-based guests if vboxvideo can’t be loaded. There are also compile fixes for RHEL/OEL/CentOS 6.4 and Debian Linux kernel 3.2.0-4.

VirtualBox 4.2.12 is available now as a free, open-source download for Windows, Mac and Linux. Also available is VirtualBox Extension Pack 4.2.12, a free-for-personal-use download that adds support for USB 2.0, VirtualBox Remote Desktop Protocol and more.

Photo Credit: ARENA Creative/Shutterstock

Moonchild Productions has released Pale Moon 20.0.1 and Pale Moon x64 20.0.1 for Windows. Also available in portable 32-bit and portable 64-bit forms, the Firefox variant had only just been updated to version 20.

Version 20.0.1 includes all the best bits of Firefox 20, including the new panel-based download manager, per-window private browsing support and ability to close individual non-responsive plug-ins to protect the current browser session.

The update also includes Firefox’s unspecified performance improvements related to common browser tasks, but also comes with specific Pale Moon performance-related fixes for Cairo scaling, panning and zooming tasks on HTML5 drawing surfaces, plus general drawing elements — including gradients.

The HTML5 canvas now supports blend modes among other unspecified audio and video improvements, while the Status Bar code has been updated to work with the new code base.

Developer tools have now been enabled by default due to their lack of impact on performance — this includes the new “Toggle tools” option and ability to detach the developer tools into their own, separate window.

Another platform-specific improvement is one that improves the contrast on Pale Moon’s glass/dark themes to work around styling issues that emerged in Pale Moon 19. Other changes include fallback character sets being updated to Windows-1252 for better impmenentation of the Encoding Standard, restored legacy function key handling, fixed UNC path handling and a switch to always enabling the use of personas, including in Private Browsing mode.

The decision to quickly switch code base to Firefox 20 has been explained due to difficulties patching issues with critical vulnerabilities in the Firefox 19 code base along with the significant improvements implemented in the latest release. As a result, Pale Moon 20 also ships with eight specific security fixes, including one that resolves a privilege escalation through the Mozilla Updater.

Pale Moon 20’s release also coincides with a recent announcement from Moonchild that it plans to drop support for Windows XP after April 8, 2014, to coincide with official support ending from Microsoft. XP support has been scaled back already, with the developer pointing out that internal development and back-end has been increasingly focussed on the capabilities of later versions of Windows.

Pale Moon 20.0.1, Pale Moon x64 20.0.1, Pale Moon Portable 20.0.1 and Pale Moon Portable x64 20.0.1 are all available now as freeware download for PCs running Windows XP or later.

Taiwanese software developer CyberLink has released PowerDirector 11 Ultra GM5 (build 2707), a notable update to its powerful consumer video-editing tool for high-end Windows PCs. The update adds support for RAW images across a wide range of camera models, plus extends support to four additional languages: Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and  Finnish.

The update, which is also available for the Ultimate and Ultimate Suite builds of PowerDirector 11, also promises improved stability and accuracy through a number of tweaks and bug fixes.

Support for RAW images is extended to all supported camera models — an extensive list, which includes Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony and Fujifilm, can be found here. The update also adds a new 2.7K resolution profile (2,704×1,524) for 2D video production to AVC H.264, MPEG-4 and MKV video formats. This builds on the support for 2K and 4K profiles added to the recent GM4 build.

Program stability improvements cover 16-threaded CPUs, the editing of 4K clips using shadow files and burning Blu-ray discs using DTS audio in supported builds. Also improved is the importing of MPEG-2 clips on Windows XP systems.

An issue with the audio duration being miscalculated with variable bit-rate MPEG audio has been resolved, and the program promises improved seeking performance and response speed when using VOB and VRO video clips. Alignment accuracy when selecting multiple templates in Title Designer has also been implemented.

CyberLink PowerDirector 11 Ultra and CyberLink PowerDirector 11 Ultimate are both available as free trial downloads now. The Ultimate Edition includes professional add-ons ColorDirector and AudioDirector.

Users can pick up the full version of CyberLink PowerDirector 11 Ultra for just $69.99 through the Downloadcrew Software Store, a saving of 30 percent on the MSRP. Purchasing through Downloadcrew also entitles you to an exclusive free bundle of extras worth $69.94, comprising CyberLink LabelPrint 2.5, Holiday Pack Vol 4 seasonal templates, official 294-page tutorial book in PDF format and post-sales technical support from CyberLink.

There’s also a 28 percent saving for those looking at CyberLink PowerDirector 11 Ultimate Suite, which comes with an expanded free bundle of goodies, including three Creative Packs and an additional 22 NewBlueFX effects to add to the extras offered with the Ultra edition.

Photo Credit: Alex Kosev/Shutterstock

XnSoft has released XnView 2.00, a new version of its freeware multimedia browser, editor and creation tool for Windows. The tool makes it simple to browse, organize and edit images, plus includes a screenshot capture tool in addition to acquiring images from scanners. XnView can also create supplementary material such as slideshows, web pages, contact sheets and video thumbnail galleries.

Version 2.0’s most notable change is the addition of a new optional toolbar style — Metro3 — that mimics the tile-based ModernUI interface found in Windows 8. The toolbar isn’t active by default; users must select Tools > Options > Toolbar, then switch to the Skin tab, select Metro3 and click OK.

The only other new feature added to XnView 2.00 is another settings tweak, and not one we could easily identify. This supposedly allows users to choose whether or not the description file used for recording comments and other metadata via the Edit > Edit Description/Comment menu — is created with hidden attributes or not. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts we could find no sign of this setting anywhere.

Two changes have been implemented in version 2.00: EXE files are no longer signed, and the JPEG2000 format is now powered by OpenJPEG rather than JasPer.

Notable fixes include improved support in Windows 8, high DPI support, a resolution for copy and paste in 32-bit color using the clipboard and several fixes regarding the slideshow tool, including one affecting the Sort by Name option.

XnView 2.00 is available now as a free-for-personal use download for PCs running Windows XP or later. Commercial users should purchase a license, with prices starting from €26.

Adobe has refreshed its cross-platform web media playback and runtime tools with the release of Adobe Flash Player for Other Browsers 11.7, Adobe Flash Player for Internet Explorer 11.7 and Adobe AIR 3.7.0.

There’s only one notable change to report in this first stable release of Flash Player 11.7: enhancements to the sandboxing features that allow it to better address application launches in protected mode.

During the beta testing phase for this release, Adobe warned developers that there could be backwards-compatibility issues as a result of some of the security updates. These should have been resolved in most cases, but be prepared for sites to stop functioning correctly in isolated cases.

With this release out of the way, Adobe has announced its next major feature will be a new patch update mechanism that it claims will reduce the size of future updates by around 75 per cent. This is currently undergoing testing in the beta channel, and should appear in a future update of Flash Player 11.7. Other unspecified new features are also planned.

Adobe AIR 3.7 also introduces a number of new iOS-focused features for developers. The first is a new static ‘preventBackup’ property, which prevents local shared object data from being backed up to iCloud. This property is required to comply with recently updated Apple guidelines.

Also added is the <forceCPURenderModeForDevices> tag that will allow AIR iOS applications to perform on lower end iPads and iPods where memory issues may occur when using GPU render mode. The final iOS-themed development is the addition of an option for developers to host secondary SWF files such as game assets or new levels on an external server, loading them on demand and helping to keep the size of the parent app down.

Android developers also gain a new feature: captive runtime debugging capability, which allows them to both create and debug captive apps. Finally, the Actionscript Compiler 2.0 has now been integrated into the AIR SDK 3.7, and is no longer available as a separate download.

Adobe Flash Player for Other Browsers 11.7.700.169 and Adobe AIR 3.7.0 are both available now as a freeware downloads for Windows and Mac. Also available is Adobe Flash Player for Internet Explorer 11.7.700.169 for PCs running Windows 7 or earlier (Windows 8 users are delivered updates through the OS).

Incomedia has released WebSite X5 Free v10.0, a major new version of its beginner-friendly web building tool for Windows. The app, which is also available in a number of paid-for versions, now boasts an integrated webserver for faster site previews, overhauled template gallery and HTML5 image galleries.

Changes to the program’s interface include better file management, whereby all files linked to a project are automatically copied so the originals are left untouched. Aside from the new integrated web server, WebSite X5 10 also replaces the default IE engine for browser previews with Chrome’s Chromium engine.

New visual controls are designed to make the program more intuitive and quicker to use and the app is now loaded dynamically, ensuring its resource demands are cut as well as loading more quickly.

The Template Gallery has been overhauled to make it easier to browse, and users can now edit default templates as well as more easily insert custom code into pages thanks in part to syntax highlighting in the program editor.

WebSite X5 also improves its structural map creation tools by allowing the home page to be treated like all other pages on the website, allowing users to search special pages and adding new methods for selecting pages on the map.

In terms of content creation, Flash-based galleries have also been dropped in favour of native HTML5 galleries, while movement and zoom effects along with image protection are handled by JavaScript rather than Flash to enhance compatibility with touchscreens. HTML5 is also implemented for video insertion and management, allowing WebSite X5 to claim full compatibility with all mobile devices. New objects include Social Network and Map, plus Guestbook, the latter of which isn’t available in the free version. The update is rounded off with improved project export and preview options.

The top-of-the-line Evolution version of WebSite X5, which costs €69.99 (around $92) also boasts several new business-friendly features: Advertising Message component for inserting ads into websites, Data Management section for the collection and collation of data submitted to user websites, and improved ecommerce optimisation (including Rich Snippets).

WebSite X5 Free v10.0 is available as a freeware download for PCs running Windows XP SP3 or later. More fully featured versions of the program are also available, with prices starting from €19.99 (around $26) for WebSite X5 Home 10.

Photo Credit:  YuanDen/Shutterstock

If you’ve a penchant for typos or having to type the same repetitive phrases day in, day out, you’ll be eternally grateful for Word’s AutoCorrect and AutoText functions. The sad thing is, of course, that once you exit Office they’re inaccessible, which must be frustrating as you read back that horribly misspelled message in your email client or psyche yourself up to enter your address for the umpteenth time into your text editor.

The good news is that you can gain this functionality across all your apps and tools in Windows with one small, perfectly formed freeware program. Step forward, WordExpander 1.5.15.

WordExpander comes from Bartel Media, the makers of PhraseExpress. PhraseExpress has all of the functionality of WordExpander, and then some, but crucially it’s only free for personal use and is quite zealous about enforcing that rule. Thankfully there are no such restrictions with WordExpander, which might explain why it’s hidden away.

That’s a shame, because WordExpander is one useful program. Once set up, you’ll be able to watch it correct your typos from whichever application – text editor, web browser or instant messaging client — you happen to be using. You’ll also be able to get autocomplete suggestions for repetitive phrases appear as you type — just press [Shift] to accept the suggestion and the text is inserted for you.

There is a certain amount of configuration involved before you get started. Click the program’s Taskbar icon to begin and you’ll be whisked to a very well designed configuration screen sporting the ribbon interface you’ve come to love (or hate). WordExpander supports two types of libraries: AutoCorrect, where the correct spelling is paired with the typo, and Phrases, where you provide a description, shortcut key and then enter the phrase you wish to use.

Nothing is set up by default, so start by shortcutting your way to adding AutoCorrect functionality. From the Libraries tab, click AutoCorrect Library to create a new library, then click the Download Libraries button. From the website that appears, right-click the English AutoCorrections link and choose to save it — a text file — to your Downloads folder. Now, with your AutoCorrect library selected in WordExpander, click Import Library, and select the downloaded English_Autocorrections.txt file. It’s a shame this isn’t already configured for you, but it does give you the opportunity to start familiarising yourself with the program.

To start building your Phrases library, switch to the Phrases tab, click New Phrase and enter a suitable description (for reference), a shortcut key that triggers it and then type – or import – the text phrase you want to use.

It’s all very straightforward — take a trip to File tab and select Options should you want WordExpander to automatically start with Windows or tweak the Phrase Detection settings (don’t like using [Shift] to confirm a phrase? Change the key or switch EasyComplete off entirely).

Ultimately, it all adds up to an essential download if you’ve been looking to extend AutoCorrect and AutoText to any application — with no strings attached. WordExpander  1.5.15 is a freeware download for PCs running Windows XP or later.

Photo Credit: Lilya/Shutterstock

Established UK developer Xara has released Xara Web Designer 9 and Xara Web Designer Premium 9, the latest builds of its popular web design package for Windows. Version 9 automatically supports the creation of HiDPi/Retina-compatible websites (Premium only), updates support for HTML5 and CSS3 standards and adds a dedicated 64-bit build for 64-bit systems with more than 4GB RAM installed.

Improved HTML5 and CSS3 compatibility has a number of benefits for Xara developers, most notably more efficient and faster loading websites. This is due to the fact many page elements that were previously converted into images can now be rendered natively in HTML5. These include rectangles — simple, rounded and skewed, box shadows, text with drop shadows and various page backgrounds.

Another side-benefit of this improvement is that HTML5-rendered elements are fully scalable and resolution independent, making them automatically compatible with higher-resolution Retina and HiDPi displays. Other page elements not natively supported, such as feathered objects, are still exported as images.

Web Designer 9 Premium also includes other tools to improve compatibility with Retina/HiDPi screens, such as automatically creating high-res photos and web graphics for “smart” web pages that display the correct resolution according to the browser being used.

Xara Web Designer 9 also includes improved font embedding, with the Premium build supporting the use of Google fonts, a growing free and open-source collection numbering over 600, for websites.

Also added to version 9 are improved re-coloring of clipart and vector-based artwork, extended support for automatically positioning and resizing objects when changes are made, easier Web presentation creation and drag-and-drop Navbar replacement support.

In addition, 20 new website themes and a number of new widgets have also been added to Web Designer 9.

Xara Web Designer 9.0.0, Xara Web Designer Premium 9.0.0 and Xara Web Designer Premium 9.0.0 (64-bit) are all available as trial downloads for PCs running Windows XP or later. Web Designer 9 is a cut-down entry level version aimed at beginners and retails for $49.99; Web Designer Premium 9 has a MSRP of $89.99 and is aimed at experienced and professional web developers looking for additional web authoring and publishing tools, as well as more sophisticated graphics tools and additional galleries.

Piriform has released Recuva 1.46 and Recuva Portable 1.46, brand new versions of its free data recovery tool for Windows PCs. Recuva can restore both lost and deleted files from a wide variety of devices attached to the user’s PC, including hard drives, camera memory cards and MP3 players.

Version 1.46 contains one notable new feature — an option to scan folders for deleted items via the Windows Explorer context menu. It also promises better scanning of exFAT and FAT32 drives along with other minor tweaks and improvements.

The new folder scan feature is only available in the main Recuva build — it’s not accessible via the portable version. The option is added to the program installer and selected by default — if left in place, users gain the ability to browse to a folder in Explorer, then right-click it and choose “Scan this folder for deleted files”. Recuva will then perform a quick scan and display the results of its search, allowing users to quickly recover files from known locations.

Recuva 1.46 also promised an improved deep scan tool for exFAT and FAT-formatted drives. It also adds new file extensions to the available filters (pictures, music, video, documents, compressed and emails).

The latest build also promises improved scan statistic accuracy, better usability of the folder browser and improved uninstallation of menu items when the program is removed. A minor bug in the secure overwrite tool for exFAT file systems has been fixed, and the update is rounded off by subtle tweaks to the recovery wizard and user interface.

Recuva 1.46 and Recuva Portable 1.46 are both available as a freeware downloads for PCs running Windows 2000 or later. Professional and Business editions are also available.

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Here’s the contradiction: you need secure, unique and hard-to-remember passwords to protect your online (and offline) accounts from being hacked. However, remembering those secure, unique and hard-to-remember passwords is another matter entirely. Thankfully there is a solution, and it’s called a password manager.

There are dozens of password managers to choose from, but in this guide we’ll showcase four of the better ones, ensuring that you set safe, secure passwords without having to worry about remembering them.

Most password managers work like this: you set up an encrypted file, or vault, into which all of your unique passwords are stored. This vault is “locked” with a master password, so as long as you can remember that, you’ll always be able to access your other passwords.

Of course, a master password can be guessed, so the better password managers go further. Open-source favorite KeePass allows you to create special key files, which need to be provided with the password when unlocking the vault. You can also lock files to the current Windows user account and even use a special USB drive called a YubiKey to provide another level of authentication.

Speaking of providing secondary hardware devices to provide extra protection for your passwords, Sticky Password Free allows you to add any USB or Bluetooth device as a secondary form of authentication, thus increasing your vault’s security that little bit further.

Sticky Password also ships with browser plug-ins, so it can automatically fill web login pages as you visit them (KeePass requires you to drag-and-drop or use hotkey triggers). But the Free version is limited to just 15 passwords — for full functionality you have to pay $29.99 for the full version.

One worry with offline password managers is what happens if your encrypted vault is corrupt? Obviously you can manually backup your files, but 1Password for Windows and 1Password for Macboth let you sync your encrypted database to Dropbox for protection against data loss. Note both are trial versions only — the full version costs $49.99 per license.

Another way to avoid this potential calamity is to entrust your passwords (encrypted, of course) to the cloud, and if you’re happy to do so then take a look at cross-platform beauty LastPass, which works seamlessly across most major browsers, and also allows you to store other confidential information online too. It’s free, although you’ll need to purchase a Premium subscription if you’d like to be able to sync passwords with your mobile devices. or add support for YubiKey authentication.

LastPass can also detect when you’re signing up for a new site and offer to quickly generate a secure password for you – something the other tools also offer, but LastPass makes the process effortless.

LastPass also offers to review your existing passwords, alerting you to any insecure ones you can then quickly make secure with its help.

Ultimately which password manager you go for depends on your individual needs: Sticky Password offers the best blend of features and security for both online and offline use, but there’s a price tag attached. If you’re happy to store your passwords in the cloud, then LastPass wins for its ease of use, but for a portable, offline solution that won’t cost you a bean, KeePass is well worth considering.

KeePass 2.21 and KeePass Portable 2.21 are both available as free, open-source downloads for Windows (other platforms are also available). Sticky Password Free 6.0.9.439 is available as a function-limited free download for Windows, while LastPass 2.0.20 is available as a freeware download for Windows, Mac and Linux. Also available are LastPass for Windows 8, LastPass for Android and LastPass Tab Browser for iOS.

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Mozilla has released Firefox 20 FINAL for Windows, Mac and Linux, and version 20 promises to be something of a landmark new release with a number of notable new features migrating across from the beta version.

The headline new feature has to be the long-awaited panel-based download manager, but Firefox 20 also debuts per-window Private Browsing, plus new developer features including an option to view Developer tools in a separate window to Firefox itself.

The new download manager is represented by a dedicated down arrow button that appears to the right of the Search bar. Clicking this or initiating a new download reveals the new panel-based manager, listing all current downloads with progress bars for those not yet complete. Right-clicking reveals additional options: pause/resume, cancel, go to download page and open downloads folder.

Clicking Show All Downloads opens the new Downloads Manager, which is integrated in the Library window alongside History, Tags and Bookmarks. The same options are displayed here as in the pop-up window, allowing users to manage downloads in the same way.

Also new in Firefox 20 is the ability to open individual windows in Private Browsing mode via the New Private Window option on the Firefox or File menu. This allows users to mix and match public and private browsing in the same session; a first for Firefox.

Another notable new feature allows Firefox to close hanging plugins without crashing the whole browser. Should a plugin hang, Firefox will wait 11 seconds by default before displaying a dialog box allowing the user to exit the plugin, allowing Firefox to function normally again.

Mozilla has also implemented the getUserMedia HTML5 control, which allows websites — with user permission — to access their camera and microphone. To see the new functionality in action, check out ShinyDemos.com’s Photo Booth.

Developer updates
Developers also enjoy a number of major new features in Firefox 20: the Developer menu has been reorganized to group the burgeoning number of developer tools more logically, with a Toggle Tools option added for quick access to the new, redesigned toolbar.

Clicking this reveals the Web Console, the new default view for developers. Firefox 20 adds a new Window button that allows the tool to be viewed in its own separate window, freeing up screen real-estate for the current web page and supporting multiple displays, allowing developers to pin them to a second monitor for convenience.

The only disappointment for developers in Firefox 20 is that the new Javascript Profiler tool for tracking the responsiveness of Javascript code is missing, stuck in beta.

Other changes include the usual evolutionary performance improvements around common browser tasks — including page loading, downloads, and shutdown of the browser, improved HTML5 support, and the usual round of minor bug fixes and security tweaks.

Firefox 20 FINAL is available now as a free, open-source download for Windows, Mac and Linux. Expect the Beta and Aurora channels to be updated in the next few days.

Data loss can take many forms, but one of the most devastating is through physical drive failure. There’s no knowing how long your hard drives will last — one drive might last well beyond its projected five-year lifespan while another identical model fails within six months. But it’s not just bad luck that can shorten a drive’s life — it’s the physical environment it operates in (hotter hard drives die sooner) and how well it’s maintained (a fragmented hard disk works a lot harder, and the physical stress again shortens its life).

Windows can provide some built-in tools for monitoring hard drives, but you’ll need a good third-party program to check on its physical status. The good news is, keeping an eye on your hard drive doesn’t have to cost a cent, thanks to the freeware tool CrystalDisk Info 5.5.0.

CrystalDiskInfo, also available as a portable build, allows you to monitor the health of all the physical hard disks attached to your PC — internal and many external USB drives — using their own built-in SMART tools plus any temperature-monitoring tools that may be present in the computer or hard drive.

Each physical disk is clearly marked with a rating of Good, Caution or Bad, color-coded accordingly. Also displayed is the drive’s current temperature, allowing you to see just how hot your drives are running (anything over 50 degrees C in a desktop should be considered bad for your drive’s long-term health).

Click on a drive’s entry and you’ll see plenty more information about the drive — its key statistics such as firmware, serial number and interface, plus its supported features. Also displayed are two useful figures: power-on count (the number of times the drive has been booted up) and power-on hours. These help monitor how long the drive has been in operation, which in turn can give you an idea of whether or not a replacement may be in order sooner rather than later.

The tool also displays detailed SMART information about the drives — it’s these figures which are used to generate the drive’s overall health rating, and those marked yellow or red will be responsible for potential problems. It’s worth Googling attribute names before panicking too much however, and with issues marked with Caution, simply keep an eye on the Current and Worst figures over a period of time to determine if the potential problem is stable or rapidly deteriorating, suggesting the drive will need replacing (after backing up).

Version 5.5.0 has just been released with improved support for Intel and OCZ support, better support for Internet Explorer 10 and improved drive letter mapping.

Both CrystalDisk Info 5.5.0 and CrystalDiskInfo Portable 5.5.0 are available as freeware downloads for PCs running Windows XP or later.

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