Continue reading »]]> SoftwareMedia.com is now carrying Intego Mac Antivirus and Security software! 

The Internet is rife with dangers: from viruses and malware that can infect and delete files, to hackers and vandals who can infiltrate computers. Mac users have special security needs, and Intego has been working to protect them from the dangers of the Internet for more than ten years. Founded in 1997, Intego is the only company focusing solely on Mac security. With a full range of products to protect Macs, Intego makes the Internet a safer place for Mac users.

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Continue reading »]]> What happens when an unstoppable force collides with an immovable object? Physicists worldwide agree it’s the same thing that happens when SoftwareMedia teams up with Simply Mac: Pure Awesomeness!

Simply Mac’s roots trace back to 2006, when they decided that buying Apple products isn’t merely a exchange of currency for goods or services, but rather an experience; a way of life. The folks at Simply Mac are true fanatics when it comes to Apple products and SoftwareMedia has teamed up with them to provide our customers with a wide selection of Apple products and accessories to please any Apple Fan. Buy iPad cases, iPod chargers and more!

Visit our Simply Mac category at SoftwareMedia.com to find the best prices on Apple accessories and be sure to check back often to see what’s new in stock. If there is a product you’re looking for that you don’t see on our site, let us know and we’ll send our team of reconnaissance ninjas out to locate the item and get it.

Also, for a limited time, order any Simply Mac product on SoftwareMedia.com and get a free 2GB flash drive. Use promo code: SIMPLYAWESOME at checkout. Limit one per customer. While supplies last.

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Survey says…

Yesterday, Apple launched the newest incarnation of it’s professional Non-Linear Editing System, Final Cut Pro X. The long awaited release came amid a throng of negative reviews among app store reviewers and professional video editors. According to the angry mobs, Final Cut Pro X has been over-simplified to appeal to more casual, home-video editors despite its past, mainly professional user-base.

Final Cut Pro X is currently the #1 most downloaded app on the Mac App Store, and -ironically- also one of the lowest-rated. In an interesting move by Apple, the price for the newest version of Final Cut Pro has been drastically reduced to $300, in order to appeal to more casual home-users. This price drop -which would seem a good move on the surface- has apparently been made possible by sacrificing professional utility.

One of the most common complaints among FCP users regards the “dumbing-down” of the interface to make the program more accessible to amateurs, which alienates many professional editors who require the more difficult, advanced controls necessary for pro-quality editing. Final Cut Pro X is not backward compatible, making any of your Final Cut Pro 7 projects virtually useless – only iMovie events can be imported (what?!).

Here are some excerpts of Final Cut Pro X customer reviews:

• “I run my my business on FCP and my first impression of the new app is that it is horrible. This is an enhanced version of iMovie. It DOES NOT open your existing FCP files.”
• “I get the impression that folks at Apple that design software don’t actually run a production environment, and don’t understand our needs at all. Finally, this dot-zero release is extremely buggy, and abnormally ended (blew up) within 20 minutes of working on a project.”
• “I love the idea of 64bit editing and all of the other features, but the basics for pros are gone. Here’s what’s missing:

We here at Software News Daily like to think of ourselves as optimists, and while many FCP users are disheartened at Apple’s new release, there are quite a few improvements and promising new features present in the software. For example:

• 64-bit support, allowing users to utilize the power of 64-bit systems(though Apple seems to be trying to catch-up to Premiere Pro and Avid)
• Utilizing the graphics processing unit to allow faster renders, exports and more powerful effects processing.
• Rendering effects in the background as you work, which is a considerable time-saver, as any video editor knows.
• Resolution independence, allowing for increased flexibility in video formats, from SD to 4k.
• ColorSync managed color pipeline, allowing for greater color consistency between FCP, Motion, Compressor and Quicktime.
• Shared render engine, which provides for more consistent render quality between FCP, Motion and Compressor.

Despite the overwhelmingly negative reaction that Final Cut Pro X has received, it is important to keep in mind that the software is in its point-zero stage, and many users hold out hope that the features and precision controls required for professional editing will be re-implemented, and that the bugs and crashes will be addressed.

There are a number of powerful, professional quality non-linear editing systems available on the market today, and choosing the best one can often be difficult. Check out our Professional Video Editing Software Guide at SoftwareMedia.com!

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Continue reading »]]> Curious which software programs Mac users new and old put their money toward last year? Over at SoftwareMedia.com, they like sharing those sorts of things with people because it’s fun to look at trends and analyze what other people are doing with their dollars! They’ve compiled a list of the Top 25 Best Mac Software of 2010. So get on over there and check out what’s hot.

25. Roxio Toast for Mac

burn. copy. listen. watch.

Roxio Toast is a great compliment to the Mac OS and iLife – for disc burning and so much more. Toast has been the standard in disc burning for as long as we can remember; it’s as easy as…. well, making toast! Burn your music, video, photo and data files onto CD, DVD and now Blu-Ray Disc. Another cool feature is the ability to capture streaming audio from the internet and add it to your iTunes library. Convert video clips to the format of your choice, convert tapes and LPs, enjoy stunning DVD menu styles and much more. Try the pro version for even more digital media features, like HD photo slideshows, audio editing to remove unwanted noise and light and balance adjustments.

24. QuickBooks for Mac

start. run. succeed.

QuickBooks software for Mac gives you the same great financial organization features we have all come to know, but it looks and works like a Mac user would expect it to. Not only is it a cinch to set up and use, it lets you organize your financials in one place and gain valuable insight into your business. Create invoices, pay bills, manage expenses, process payroll, export to Excel and much more. Available in 1 and 3 user packs.

23. Camtasia for Mac

record. import. share.

Camtasia Studio has always been a useful tool for screencast videos, and it has gained some traction with the increased popularity of sites like YouTube and Vimeo. For both businesses and home users, there are a multitude of reasons why you would use Camtasia regularly. Just ask Justin, who wrote this post on the top 5 uses for Camtasia Studio. It’s functionality is simple: make a movie from content you record off your computer screen. Just record what you see and edit it to be shared anywhere.

22. Apple iWork

documents. spreadsheets. presentations.

Apple iWork is the Mac counterpart of the ever popular Microsoft Office. But like a lot of the programs on this list, it is designed to work as a Mac user would intuitively want it to. Pages allows you to write documents, create fliers, reports and more with over 180 templates to choose from. With Numbers, the Excel counterpart, you create spreadsheets, organize data and write formulas. Use Keynote to create showstopping presentations. Also included are various Apple-design fonts, themes and templates.

21. Norton AntiVirus for Mac

scan. detect. remove. clean.

Mention anti virus software for Mac, and the response is fairly typical: “Macs don’t need anti virus software”. Well, we disagree. So do a lot of experts and clearly, SoftwareMedia customers have made their vote on the matter heard as well. The Mac is not free of security flaws, and the fact that there are no mass exploits does not mean that individual users are not targeted. Even if the risk is small, the outcomes could be bad, as described in this SND article about Drive by Downloads. Whatever program you choose, take the precautions to protect your Mac and your valuable information. Norton AntiVirus just so happens to be the #1 selling Mac Antivirus solution.

View the Full Top 25 List: Bestselling Mac Software > >

And as always, find a full selection discount Mac software at SoftwareMedia.com.

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Continue reading »]]> There is some truly amazing software out there. Revolutionary products that have changed the way we live, interact and do business. However, there are also some real stinkers. Programs which are long past due, riddled with security issues and malware, software that holds innovation back, and, in short, are just plain bad.

Here is a subjective list of the twenty worst. Settle down Microsoft-haters, Bill Gates’ creations only appear 5 times on this list. Even the usually squeaky-clean Apple gets a few drubbings too.

So come along as we take a not-so-pleasant ride down memory lane to look at some of the most annoying software the IT world has turned out to date.

19. MS-DOS

Yes MS-DOS was a breakthrough operating system, and sure DOS holds a nostalgic view for many PC users. They remember the good old days of text-based games, Word Perfect, and fun commands like “cd\” and “dir *.*”. However, do you remember this one: Bad command or file name, bad command or file name. DOS made computing accessible to only select few and provided endless hours of frustration for the rest. DOS was a pain, and I for one am glad it is long gone and buried.

18. Apple iWeb

Lately it seems Apple can put a lower case i in front of anything and have a best seller on their hands. But not all Mac programs were amazing or revolutionary in their times. Bundled as part of their iLife project, Apple’s iWeb was an attempt to bring webpage creation to the masses. It failed miserably. iWeb was just a bit too simplistic; it didn’t create real web sites. For example, try highlighting some text on an iWeb created site. You can’t! That’s because iWeb didn’t add text or hyperlinks to sites, it simply created an image which you could upload to server, a sort of pseudo-site if you will.

17. Compuserve

Think way back to a time when the internet was brand new and the possibilities seemed limitless. Compuserve was an attempt to one-up AOL. It was an early version of Second Life in a way. Users would create a cartoon avatar that would then be able to explore an online Compuserve world with various houses to enter that represented areas of the web: news, sports, chat rooms, ect. The problem was it didn’t really work, was plagued by horrible connection issues, and once the novelty wore off, people soon realized surfing actual websites was far superior.

16. Realplayer

I will admit that Realplayer does have it good points. Its Flash support for iPhones and Blackberries is great and it has been successfully integrated into Xbox, PS3 and Wii. However, as a stand-alone version Realplayer is basically a virus; it works its way into every nook and cranny of your computer. It always pops up asking you to install updates or download the latest version. And it’s clunky and slow. All-in-all, Realplayer is just a pain in the butt.

15. Pay-Service Napster

When Napster was first released it revolutionized the internet and the music industry. Free music, whenever, wherever. And you could just download single songs, no longer were you forced to shell out $20 for an album full of junk to hear that one hit single. Then reality smacked Napster users in the face. It turned out all those free music downloads were actually illegal and Napster had to become a pay service. Well, since then the program has basically become useless as others like iTunes have taken over. Napster is a prime example of a good program gone bad.

14. Comet Cursor

At number 15 is an evil little menace you might remember from the late-1990s. In the pre-2000 age of computing, words like spyware, adware, and malware, had not been added to the collective lexicon yet. We have the industrious Comet Cursor to thank for that. This little program, designed to help those who just could not live with the standard white arrow cursor, single-handedly initiated the malware plague that currently infects cyberspace. Many a beginning, younger, or less-knowledgeable internet surfer fell prey to this lurking predator. Before they knew it, their system was completely bogged down spyware and adware. If you remember your old computers for being slow….perhaps they just had Comet Cursor installed on them.

13. Microsoft Bob

Microsoft was always acutely aware that their software and operating systems could be intimidating for first time users. In order to solve this problem the software giant developed what was supposed to be a non-technical interface for beginning users. Know as Bob, he (it?) was integrated with several key applications for easy use, such as a word processer and financial software. Users would navigate these sections of Bob, graphically displayed as “houses” (sound familiar?). Bob also had several other cartoon helpers that dwelled in this digital neighborhood. The problem with Bob was it was just too silly. Adult users quickly grew tired of the hand-holding and by Windows 98, and Bob was abandoned.

12. Bearshare

In the days after the demise of good old free-to-use Napster many new contenders to the throne of “free download” king emerged. Bearshare was a highly popular one. For a while, at least before it too was brought down by a lawsuit, Bearshare allowed users access to a Napster-esque amount of free music downloads. Unfortunately, Bearshare also gave you access to a host of spyware, adware, viruses, malware, and encrypted packets which Napster did not. It was one of the original wolf-in-sheep’s-clothing freeware programs that so pollute cyberspace these days. Top it off with disorganized search results and an overly segmented and congested network, and you have one terrible Peer-2-Peer program.

11. Apple Time Machine

Not all Apple products are a flawless blend of technology and innovation, and Apple’s system backup program Time Machine is a perfect example. Again, the problem seems to be one common to most flawed Apple products: it is too simplistic. Apple TM allows users to restore their files to the exact condition before a HD crash occurred. Sounds fair, the only problem is that is about all it does well. There is simply no customization. Users cannot select which files to backup, only which to exclude. They can’t pick when the backup times occurs, TM just automatically backs up files on a drive at certain intervals. Not all Mac users are computer-illiterate, but sometimes it seems Apple likes to pretend they are.

10. Nero Burning ROM

Not so affectionately nicknamed “Nero Burning Rome” by frustrated users, Nero was once the king of optical disc authoring software. Now Nero more resembles the tyrannical Roman Emperor whose namesake the software bares: overly extravagant and controlling. At a price tag of between $100 and $200 dollars, Nero is highly over-priced considering the wealth of free ROM-authoring software available. Additionally, Nero has Microsoft level control issues. The hundreds of dollars spent buys you 1 license, so if you have two computers you will have to buy two copies of Nero…sound familiar? Don’t even bother with this dinosaur.

9. WinFixer

Also known as Driver Cleaner, WinFixer claims it “is a useful utility to scan and fix any system, registry and hard drive errors. It ensures system stability and performance, frees wasted hard-drive space and recovers damaged Word, Excel, music and video files”. What WinFixer actually does is implant your system with more malware, spyware and adware than you can ever hope to get rid of it. WinFixer has been the subject of numerous class-action lawsuits by duped clients who said the program irrevocably damaged their hardware. The people who created this monster should be ashamed of themselves.

8. Windows Vista

After 6 years in development, Microsoft trumpeted Vista as a Win95-like revolution in operating systems. Soon even Microsoft itself has to admit Vista was fatally-flawed, and as an olive-branch, they extended service for XP longer than originally planned. Vista had massive hardware requirements and was ridiculously expensive – $399 at release! However, what stands out in user’s memories is that almost comical amount of user prompts associated with the product. “Program X wants to access your system: Cancel or Allow”. This phrase quickly went viral and was even spoofed by Apple during their famous Mac guy versus PC guy add campaign. Vista also has a host of technical problems that are beyond the scope of this review. Needless to say, Vista caused many a new PC purchaser to break out and reinstall their old copy of XP or Windows 2000. Luckily Windows 7 has been a complete turnaround for the Redmond-based company.

7. Apple Quicktime for the PC

Quicktime remains an essential program on the Mac; however, their PC port is one of the worst video playback platforms available. The PC version of Quicktime was slow, had terrible buffering rates, embedded itself deep in your system, and for the most part exhibited low-quality playback. While Windows Media Player would give you full- screen clarity at decent speeds, Quicktime would open these tiny little windows in your internet browser that took forever to load. How PC Quicktime ever became so popular is beyond me.

6. Internet Explorer 6

To be honest, I’d like to just put the whole Internet Explore family on here. However, for the purposes of clarity I will limit it to the black sheep of an already questionable family. IE 6 was so riddled with security issues at many points it seemed like Microsoft must have been in league with the spammers and scambots. With virtually no protection against unwanted cookies, adware or spyware, IE 6 opened the floodgates for the rise in malware over the recent years. Lack of standards for web development… I could go on about the problems still abound with IE6. In January 2010, Google announced it would discontinue support for IE6. Often derided as one of the worst programs ever, IE 6 comes in at number 7 on this list because of its one saving grace….it precipitated the ascendancy of Mozilla Firefox.

5. Lotus Symphony and Jazz

Released as the successor to the highly successful Lotus 1-2-3, Symphony was an integrated office suite released for both PC and Apple (called Jazz on Apple) in 1985. Perhaps they were trying to capitalize of the name recognition generated by Lotus 1-2-3, but Symphony and Jazz held a whopping $600 dollar price tag. (This is 1985 mind you!) Additionally, the UI was crummy and ugly, and the program was very basic and slow. The demise of Lotus allowed Microsoft to swoop in and corner the market with their Office suite, a domination that still exists to this day.

4. Microsoft Works

Next up is another integrated office suite, the poor man’s version of Microsoft Office, collectively known as Works. Microsoft Works is an enigma of sorts, a dog without a home. It has no point really; it is obviously far inferior to Office. Its output, .wps files, are not compatible with Office, nor can you open Office files easily in Works. It seems to be a frustration purely created to entice users to buck up and spend the $100 dollars on Office. Heck, even the logo is crummy!

3. MyWay Searchbar

This was a search tool that would automatically query search engines like Google, Yahoo, Alta Vista, and then combine the results into one list. Sounds like an OK idea. However, like many other programs on this list it was riddled with malware. MyWay would overload your computer with popup ads and install all sorts of nasty and annoying cookies into your system and browser. This program was also designed to integrate with such wonderful internet options like SmileyCentral, Cursor Mania, Popular Screensavers and Zwinky…oh joy. The worst part of all was that Dell Computers used to ship this program already installed on Internet Explorer 6!! Could anything be worse? Actually, 3 things could….read on to find out.

2. Windows ME

Forget Vista, worry not Works, even poor old IE 6 can’t hold a candle to the sheer garbage that was Windows ME. Universally regarded as the worst operating system of all time, ME, or Millennium Edition, is evidently where the actual Y2K bugs ended up. ME was shockingly unstable, it would crash for no reason, freeze when it felt like it. It was like some evil little elf out to frustrate users into switching to Apple. A PC World report stated that “users reported problems installing it, getting it to run, getting it to work with other hardware or software, and getting it to stop running.” ME, dubbed Mistake Edition, would actually resurrect cleaned spyware and adware during the system restore option!

1. America Online (AOL)

The largest “walled-garden” online community is the number 1 worst software program of all time for a litany of reasons. Alone, any one of these would be enough to put AOL in the top 10, together, they push it to the top. Firstly, how may AOL discs did we get in our collective mail, hundreds, thousands, millions? Somewhere there must be a landfill the size of Delaware full of free AOL CD-ROMs and 3.5” inch floppies. But I guess these were the days before we knew to be environmentally conscious….. right?

Second, AOL fed users into this weirdly controlled online pre-school where bad content was kept out and only websites with “AOL keywords” could be accessed, while at the same time the “teen” chat rooms precipitated the mass-wave of internet predators and pedophiles. AOL didn’t have email…it had “goodmail” where by users wouldn’t get spam, they would only get emails from “trusted” companies. OK so no spam, just emails from whoever paid AOL enough money to become “trusted”.

Anyone remember the AOL search data scandal of 2006? That was when AOL made public the search history of 650,000 AOL users. Ever try to cancel your account? It was a challenge, that’s because AOL had an elaborate employee reward scheme set up to give bonuses to employees who could retain users attempting to cancel their accounts.

Most damningly, and the main reason AOL is number 1 is their efforts to delay the mainstream acceptable of broadband. DSL and cable-based internet access would cut into AOL’s bottom line, they preferred you to remain on 56k and pay $19.95/month for it. Although AOL now offers DSL access to its clients, their foot-dragging on broadband remains a dark-chapter in internet history. For all of these reasons, AOL is the worst software program of all time.

And there you have it folks! The top 20. Or shall we say, bottom 20? Know of a horrible program that didn’t make the cut? Add it to the comments below and we will consider it for a followup post.

SND would like to thank our guest writer Alex for this interesting take on software history.

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Continue reading »]]> An annual study released by The American Customer Satisfaction Index showed a 4% increase in how people feel about their computers, with the overall satisfaction of PC’s averaging 78%.

“Nearly all brands showed increases in satisfaction and no manufacturer declined,” said Claes Fornell, director of the National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan.

What are the factors behind US computer buyers being happier than ever? “Lower prices, better service, and an emphasis on new, smaller systems and a variety of portable PCs helped drive the improvement.” The cultural shift to Apple computers has also contributed its share. Apple has dominated the competition in the satisfaction index for seven years now, and this year was no exception with an 86% satisfaction rating.

Another major reason for the increase is customer satisfaction with Microsof’t latest OS. And if you haven’t made the switch, there are few excuses not to upgrade to Windows 7. It certainly makes up for the pain and suffering many endured with its last release, Windows Vista.

Still using Windows XP or Windows Vista and considering making the upgrade to Windows 7? Dell is making the switch easier than ever with their new Windows 7 Readiness Assessment. The assessment scans your hard drive to make sure your current PC can handle Windows 7. It will also scope out other software programs you may have installed and let you know which ones are not compatible. Finally, the assessment will help you create a migration plan and present you with all the resources to make the switch as smooth as possible. If you find that your PC is ready, and are considering upgrading your business to Windows 7, visit SoftwareMedia.com for even more savings. Save with Windows 7 liscensing for business, or for SOHO and personal use check out retail editions.

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Continue reading »]]> Office 2011 is slated to release this October, but if you need to purchase Office for Mac today never fear! Microsoft is offering anyone who purchases Office 2008 between August 1st and November 30th you will receive a free upgrade to 2011 when it comes out! Check out the newest video from Microsoft below and get an inside look of Office 2011. It’s going to get you excited!

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Not too long ago, iPhone OS 4.0 beta 4 was released! I’m not sure if this is old news — I admit, I’m a bit out of the loop…

But tethering! That has to be somewhat fresh news… iPhone OS 4.0 beta has a tethering option! iPhone user? Not excited? Yeah, I wasn’t very excited either when I read about it on Engadget, Boy Genius Report and Gizmodo. Why? I had no idea what tethering was until just a few minutes ago. What was all this hype over tethering!

Contrary to what I initially thought (it’s nowhere near a virtual game of iPhone tetherball), “tethering” is the use of a mobile device as a makeshift modem to connect another device to the internet. The connection is usually made through Bluetooth or a (USB, perhaps) cable. About.com gave the best breakdown I came across in my ADD-limited timespan spent looking up the term. Tethering is particularly useful when you have no other means to connect to the internet. It also may save a bit of dough if you already have an unlimited data plan — no need for a broadband or wireless access card when you can tether off your unlimited data plan. And it may also be more secure than surfing from a public wi-fi hotspot. When I think of tethering, I think of a cell phone… and a wireless card… meshed together. If that confuses you more, I apologize… Anyway, apparently, tethering is highly anticipated.

Now, that I know what tethering is… I’d say I’m more excited… uh… well, for those iPhone users (which I am not — I oddly live in the stone age when it comes to upgrading my tech; I blame this on lack of funds).

To set up tethering — navigate over to your settings to see the new option. A pop-up will ask if you want to set up tethering on this account, just go to the website and follow the directions. There’s a quick video of someone doing this below, for those… more visual learners.

If you aren’t seeing the option to set up tethering, just reset your network settings. Once you’ve got it set up, feel free to share your experiences, frustrations, likes, dislikes, and all that jazz.

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