pro

Why Apple's secrecy is frustrating Mac Pro customers

It's not exactly a revelation to say Apple executives are fond of secrets. While that sense of mystery may work marketing magic with consumers, many Mac Pro customers in the professional world would very much appreciate it if Apple would cut it out with the cloak-and-dagger stuff.

At a starting price of $2,499, the Mac Pro is one of Apple's most expensive products. It's still the go-to workhorse for creative types who work in film, photography, print, and architectural jobs. But many of them are losing patience with Apple following a series of erratic product updates … Read more

Four months in, Windows 8 needs help

After four months of tepid Windows 8 PC sales, maybe it's time for Microsoft to make a few changes.

During a conversation I had this week with IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell, he volunteered the following statement, which sounded strangely like my experience.

There were certain decisions that Microsoft made that were in retrospect flawed. Notably not allowing people to boot into desktop mode and taking away the start button. Those two things have come up consistently. We've done some research and people miss that.

And there are a lot of people that as soon as they boot … Read more

Fight for the future of the human race in Final Fury

As a game that is a cross between overhead hack-and-slash games like Diablo and infinite-wave games like Geometry Wars, Final Fury Pro is a fantastic marriage of old-school layouts, modern graphics and reward mechanics, and a slick game engine. The gameplay carries the game, offering a number of upgrade options, weapons and wave after wave of enemies to take down as you rack up massive combo scores.

The game is simple in execution but offers a number of challenging rewards as you progress. When you start, the idea is simple. Move your character around the screen and fire on alien … Read more

View images and convert large sets with Image Converter Pro for Mac

Converting multiple pictures in a batch can be messy and can take more time than it should. Image Converter Pro for Mac allows you to convert sets of photos from one type to another, optionally setting the quality for some formats. It is a small application designed to allow quick batch conversion, but it doesn't feel like a mature and fully capable app.

With Image Converter Pro you can simply drag and drop your pictures into the main window and they are ready to be processed. Doing so on the dock icon will directly convert them using your last … Read more

Create cards and photo layouts with CollageFactory Pro for Mac

Basic photo editors are sometimes insufficient for some users' needs. CollageFactory Pro for Mac provides some specialized features for those working with photos, but at a price.

CollageFactory Pro for Mac can be used for free but it will place a watermark on all printed documents if you do so. The full version without restrictions may be purchased for $29.99. The program is sizable at more than 200MB, but downloaded and installed smoothly after we accepted a lengthy user agreement. The design works well and has a menu bar on the left side where you can click to load … Read more

Chat, share, and connect with your Facebook friends using ChatBook Pro for Mac

In most situations, chatting with friends on Facebook requires viewing the full site. For those willing to pay a small price, ChatBook Pro for Mac provides a minimalistic interface to participate in chats without being on the Facebook page.

While there is no free version of the program available, the full, unlimited program costs only $2.99 through the App store. Since Apple hosts the app, downloading and installation were seamless. ChatBook Pro for Mac immediately opened and prompted the user to sign in using a Facebook account. Once the user is signed in, the program opens on the left … Read more

Top 5 solid-state drives: It's upgrade time

Now that you have learned all about solid-state drives (SSDs) and even know how to take care of one, the only thing left is buying the SSD itself.

Any of the following drives will be a single upgrade that makes your computer feel like new, if the machine is currently running on a hard drive. Some of these drives can prove to be great upgrades even when your system is running on a budget or older-generation SSD. In short, it's upgrade time for many of you out there, especially when most of the drives listed here now cost less … Read more

Photo Caption Pro Extreme adds custom captions

It's hard to surf the Web without encountering a new meme, whether it be a grumpy cat or a cute baby. Photo Caption Pro Extreme lets you apply custom captions to your pictures so that maybe yours will be the next Internet sensation. We weren't big fans of all the pop-up ads, but it performed as promised.

Photo Caption Pro Extreme opens with two menu options: take a photo or choose one from your iPhone's Camera Roll. We started with a photo from our Camera Roll. Two pop-up ads appeared after our selection, but we were able … Read more

Mac sales should recover after December drop, analyst says

Sales of Apple's Mac should bounce back this month following a dismal December, according to Needham analyst Charlie Wolf.

For 26 quarters in a row, Mac shipments grew faster than those of PCs. But that record came to an end in December when Mac shipments fell by 22 percent compared with an overall industry drop of just 6.6 percent.

Wolf said in an investors note released today:

What we can only describe as astonishing, given that Mac shipments fell below PC shipment growth in all geographic regions and segments in December, is that there was absolutely not one … Read more

Microsoft continues global rollout of Surface RT, Pro

Microsoft's rollout of its Windows Surface tablets continues, as the company today announced that in the coming months the Surface RT will be available in a range of new markets -- including Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore, and Taiwan.

The Surface RT version can run certain desktop applications, such as Microsoft Office RT and Internet Explorer 10, but otherwise is restricted to Windows store apps. The 32GB Surface RT tablet starts at $499 in the U.S. The company didn't offer prices for the new markets.

In addition, Microsoft said that it will bring the Surface Pro … Read more