Software and Services - Features

Bing vs. Google vs. Yahoo: feature smackdown

In the arena of world-class search, can Bing bring the hurt to Google and Yahoo? Microsoft's newest search engine comes packed with search tools such as an Explorer Pane for refining searches, Quick Previews for sneaking a peek at a site before visit...

Apple WWDC: Where rumors become reality

In just six days Apple will kick off its Worldwide Developers Conference, which runs from June 8-12. The perennial Apple event is one of several vehicles the company uses to unveil new tech toys and software.

Windows 7 public previews slow Vista's growth, says metrics firm

Windows Vista's market share growth has slowed since Microsoft released public versions of Vista's successor, Windows 7, according to data published today by Web metrics company Net Applications.

Get organised

If your daily life is hectic, start calming it down by organizing your workspace--with the help of our tips for Gmail and desktop search, among others. Whether you need to neaten up your PC desktop or the actual top of your desk, here are some simple...

Windows 7 alluring, but XP is the migration X factor

Corporate migration to Windows 7 may be less about evaluating the new Microsoft operating system and more about how to properly gauge the correct time to get XP off client desktops.

Windows 7 Starter Edition for netbooks loses 3-app limit

A reversal seemed highly likely from the moment Microsoft announced a three-application limit in the Windows 7 Starter Edition OS planned for netbooks.

Firefox 3.5: An early look

There was a time when Firefox was the Web browser for the cool kids who knew their tech. Most would still agree that it's better than Internet Explorer, but that's damning it with faint praise. Over the last year or so, Firefox has become better know...

Microsoft 'Bing' would bring new life to old domain

Microsoft's planning to relaunch its Live search engine under the name "Bing," a recent report suggests.

Switching my dad to Linux -- part two

As mentioned in my last posting, I'm not a very good Linux evangelist. I don't try and convert family and friends to Linux. Therefore, as surprising as it sounds, putting Ubuntu on my dad's new laptop--as I did a week ago--was the first time I've eve...

Mozilla's Jetpack builds on Firefox's top strength

Ask people what they like most about the Firefox browser and the answer is almost unanimous: The add-ons. Though blamed for slowing browser performance, the downloads allow users to customize the Firefox experience. Jetpack, announced yesterday, hope...

Google's Chrome 2.0: first impressions

Google Chrome is a browser whose only claim to fame (aside from being a Google product) is its speed and simplicity. In fact, some would claim that Chrome is simple to a fault, with version 1 of the browser lacking features that seem almost fundament...

Save time and money with online meeting tools

If you're like me, you probably hate attending business meetings. But a number of useful Internet-based tools have arisen that can help workgroups schedule and run them more effectively. All of the tools here work within most popular Web browsers, an...

Desktop Linux: why you shouldn't care

Recently, the Web site analytics company Net Applications came out with figures that showed that in April, the percentage of "client devices" used to surf the Web that were running Linux crossed the 1% level for the first time ever -- 1.02%, to be ex...

Edit your photos online for free

Looking for a photo editor? The usual choices include Adobe Photoshop Elements (available online for about $US85 and up), which I use to demonstrate techniques here in Digital Focus, and Corel Paint Shop Pro (available for about $US70 and up). There ...