Recently in Computer Software Category

Gamers will see the release of Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA IV) for their platform of choice this fall. Game developer Rockstar Games and parent company Take-Two have announced that the popular title will hit store shelves on Nov. 18.

Naturally, gameplay in GTA IV will be a little different on the PC than it is on the PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360, principally because gamers often use keyboards and mice instead of specialized controllers.

However, Rockstar is adding what it calls a newly expanded multiplayer system just for the PC.

One of the big draws for PC gaming is multiplayer, so if they can create a unique PC-oriented multiplayer experience, it could pull more people in. If it's something substantially different, and it's great, it could even convince some of the people who bought the console version to buy the PC version just for the multiplayer.

Wait and see ...

Check out more at eCommerce Times here.

Hard to image (but many have thought about it, I'm sure), but Microsoft has kicked off a research project to create software that will take over when it retires Windows.

Called Midori, the cut-down operating system is radically different from Microsoft's older programs, being Internet-centric rather than depending on being tied to a single PC.

Although Midori has been heard about before now, more details have now been published by Software Development Times after viewing internal Microsoft documents describing the technology.

Midori is believed to be under development because Windows is unlikely to be able to cope with the pace of change in future technology and the way people use it.

Windows worked well in an age when most people used one machine to do all their work. The operating system acted as the holder for the common elements Windows programs needed to call on. It's lot different now!

When asked about Midori by BBC News, Microsoft issued a statement that said: "Midori is one of many incubation projects underway at Microsoft. It's simply a matter of being too early in the incubation to talk about it."

Seems like everyone and their brothers and sisters is writing or blogging about the launch of a new search engine today that apparently digs even deeper into the Internet to bring more accurate searches.

The new SE, called Cuil (and pronounced "Cool") has a different look, with more text after each returned search, rather than Google's list of links and links and links.

On my first searches, very fast results, but with mixed results -- some odd balls, some right on the money.

So, you try it, and see what happens.

Oh, and get back to me on it, will ya?

www.cuil.com

With Sony announcing today that its Reader Digital Book will be able to read electronic books published using the .epub format -- the same that many of the largest book publishers are using -- ring in a new age for e-books?

Until now, Sony's e-book reader could only read books available from the Sony e-book store, PDF documents and digital rights management (DRM)-free text.

Starting next month, the new PRS-505 Sony Reader will be able to access secure DRM- and non-DRM-protected content in the .epub format, formerly called the Open eBook format.

The Sony Reader Digital Book is the first e-book reading device to support the .epub format, which is the XML-based standard format proposed by the International Digital Publishing Forum. It allows publishers to convert books to different formats, protect the copy using DRM and adds the ability to resize PDF e-books and other text to better fit the reader's screen size.

Such publishers as Harper Collins, Random House, Simon & Schuster and Penguin are offering texts in the .epub format.

CNet has more on this development here.

News that I'd rather not think about, but have to, is the new upsurge in malware written specifically for Apple users. 

Still a drop in the bucket compared to Windows vulnerabilities, but Mac nastyware is on the rise.

Two new Mac-ware Trojans that emerged in February and June ought to shake Mac users of their misconceptions that their computers (and, eventually, iPods and iPhones) are impenetrable.

To put this in perspective, the first really pernicious piece of Mac malware emerged only in October 2007, suggesting that a worrisome trend is about to get worse. 

Read more of this sad development here at TimesOnline (UK).

Sick and tired of getting a new PC and discovering all of the free trial software and other stuff you don't need, didn't ask for and now have clogging up valuable drive space on your new baby?

Well, looks like Sony has taken the noble step of making it possible to configure your own PC (like the VAIO notebook) without any of that extra stuff included. And they do it for free.

Like the concept? Then read more about it here.

We get all excited about Adobe PhotoShop and the suite of related products that make it such a great graphics program, but there are other solid choices out there for you to take into consideration.

CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 is at the top of that list!

Drawing on its years of expertise, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 delivers all the essential tools for today's busy designer.

You can do whatever you need to do -- create illustrations, logos, brochures, newsletters, flyers, signs, Web images and more, more, more!

You can create powerful designs using intuitive vector illustration and page layout tools or retouch and enhance photos with professional photo editing software.

How about easily converting bitmap images to editable and scalable vector files? Sure ...

Whatever your project, CorelDRAW Graphics Suite X4 will streamline your workflow.  It's got enhanced Windows Vista integration, which sure helps you avoid an hiccups.

Alas, it's only for 64- or 32-bit Windows Vista (sure would be nice to see a Mac version). 

MSRP: Full -- $429.  Upgrade -- $199.

www.corel.com

We've got widgets for the Mac and widgets for the PC. 

These little apps can be very helpful!

I've got these widgets -- calendar, gas price finder, calculator, my local weather, iTunes, Stickies, clock and the very cool GuitarChords.

Some days I use some of these a lot, others not, but good to know they are there.

Do you use widgets?

What's your favorite?

Microsoft will start selling its Office programs to consumers on a subscription basis starting in mid-July. According to the news, it's a a bid to reach "thrifty PC buyers" who would otherwise pass on the software.

The software bundle, formerly code-named "Albany" , includes Microsoft Office Home and Student 2007, giving them the latest versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. Additionally it comes with Microsoft's Live OneCare computer security software, Windows Live tools, such as Windows Live Mail, Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Photo Gallery, and will be sold at Circuit City stores for $69.99 per year.

Bryson Gordon, a group product manager for the Office group, said in an interview that the agreement with Circuit City Stores Inc. is not exclusive, and that the bundle will be available at other retailers and on PCs sold by the likes of Dell Inc. in the future.

The Microsoft Equipt bundle includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote, plus OneCare and a handful of existing free Windows Live applications.

Buying those programs the traditional way would cost about $200. Further the news says consumers who want to replace Office 2007 with "Office 14," rumored to be set for a 2009 release, would have to pay full price and not an upgrade price. That should rankle a few feathers if indeed true. Contrast that with the subscription model, where upgrading to a new version is included in the annual cost.

Obviously, with security & anti-virus features built into OneCare, this also puts Equipts squarely in the sights of popular subscription-based security programs such as McAfee and Symantec. It's worth mentioning that Equipt can be installed on up to three computers.

Of course, for free you can install and use Open Office for your Office productivity suite. Then you can install ClamAV, a free open source anti-virus tool, or even AVG Free Edition. So if Microsoft is targeting the "thrifty" they may not get many takers. Then again, people will pay for stuff if it's good quality and cheap.

Check out Microsoft's site for more

UK-based MrModchips was cleared of all 26 counts against him for his role in importing and selling gaming console modchips. You know, the kind that lets you play [cough] backup copies of your video games. The Court of Appeal Criminal Division ruled that modchips do not circumvent copyright protection.

The icing on the cake is that the defendant was "awarded full costs as a result of his successful appeal," Sweet! Can you imagine the look on high-priced lawyers faces representing the multi-billion dollar video gaming industry? Poor Sony. Poor Microsoft. Have to pay the lawyers AND the guy selling modchips that allow pirated, I mean backup copies of your DVD gaming collection to play. Now if only the U.S. had such a policy maybe frivolous lawsuits wouldn't be so bad.

[Via TeamXecuter]