10 Fantastic Websites You Need Now

What the Web offers consumers and technophiles evolves quickly, so keeping up with the latest and greatest sites can be a full-time job. Eye candy, slick utility, and superb shopping are a few themes designers and developers are getting better at serving up.

In no particular order, here are ten you should check out -- sites recommended by web-savvy users as well as a couple of my personal faves.

Gojee

Crave something? Tell Gojee what it is and this app will deliver beautiful images and food and drink recipes curated from foodie blogs such as TasteFood, Kitchen Culinaire, and Fresh365. For instance, input “mushrooms” and Gojee will feed you 100 full-screen photos to tantalize you to get recipes for dishes with titles like “Linguine with Morels, Asparagus and Peas” and “Rosemary or Wild Mushroom Stroganoff.” You can sign in using Facebook, a Google account, or only with an e-mail address.

Wizard of Odds

A genius buddy of mine who works as a senior user experience designer for a logistics software company likes to visit Wizard of Odds to study the optimal gambling strategy of casino card games based on empirical evidence.

“I go to the casinos a couple of times per year. The site helps me keep straight the optimal blackjack strategy for different numbers of decks and small house rule differences. I also always check it before trying new games, so I'm not playing blind. It's good about letting you know the house probability edge on various games too, so you know which ones to avoid entirely,” he says.

Ebates

Twitter user @shopaholicchic (real name Aimee Cheek) raves about Ebates, and says she’s not affiliated with the site but is a fan of getting cash back on things she was going to purchase anyway. She says getting started is as quick as entering your e-mail address and using coupons and deals on vendor sites.

“It uses tracking software to know you made a purchase and every month or so, they mail you a check with your rebate. [It’s] seriously that simple. Even some airlines and hotels [are] included, not to mention most all the main department stores and popular clothing stores,” she says. Ebates says its members have earned more than $100,000,000. Since she started using the site in December Cheek has already received about $100 from Ebates.

Houzz

Cheek says she’s also a huge fan of Houzz, which is indeed a wildly popular (yet largely still undiscovered) site with people who want to build a house, renovate their home, or otherwise improve a property. More than 40,000 architects, contractors, and designers have uploaded more than 433,000 beautiful images that you can save in idea books. And if you want to hire the professionals responsible for the photos, the site sends you to a page that displays other projects in their portfolios, client recommendations, and information about how you can reach them. “I’m currently in middle of complete house renovation. Houzz and Pinterest our my two biggest sources of ideas,” Cheek says.

AppSumo

Geared for entrepreneurs, this one comes recommended by Andrew Woo, founder of ProjectSnap, a soon-to-be-released app that lets you add leads instantly from your iPhone to e-mail lists in MailChimp, Constant Contact, Aweber, and iContact.

Woo says he’s used AppSumo to download more than 20 digital tools for growing his business, including the video Google Apps Unleashedand the e-book SEO Copywriting. “I love AppSumo because it always has great deals for entrepreneurs and if I don’t like what I buy they have a lifetime guarantee,” Woo says.

Airbnb

Even though Airbnb users booked 4 million nights of accommodation last year, it’s surprising how many travelers give you a blank stare if you ask them if they’ve used it. It offers “unique spaces” all over the world leased out by the night by people who want to make money opening their homes to strangers. Travelers, for their part, can not only save on the cost of paying for a hotel room, but have access to locals who can advise which mass transit routes are fastest, or what attractions are worth visiting. 

Unwilling to shell out the exorbitant prices demanded by Manhattan hotels, I recently tried Airbnb (that's Air B&B) when visiting New York City. I stayed with a woman who gave me her bedroom in an Upper West Side luxury apartment while she slept on the couch. While it still cost me about $150 a night for that privilege, I saved about $200 during my thee-day visit compared to staying in a reasonably-priced hotel.

Notcot.org

If Pinterest is a bit too focused on handbags and recipes for you, check out Notcot.org, which Kirk Diedrich, e-mail marketing manager for ad agency TBWA\Chiat\Day, says works like Pinterest but existed first. 

“[It’s a] cool stuff aggregator that always has awesome content,” he says. Indeed, if you stop by the site you’ll find things techies will likely dig, such as this Astronaut Glove Assistant, which uses “Muscle Wire” to increase pressure and improve dexterity.

Urlquery.net

A friend of mine who works as an IT administrator for a large company recommends Urlquery.net for security. “I can cut and paste links to see if they are going to maliciously attack my devices or not. [It] works with Windows, Mac, Droid, and iOS,” he says.

Sportlyzer

Denis Harscoat, co-founder of the action-tracking app DidThisrecommends this one. “The Sportlyzerprogram helped me run a 10km in 39'58". Long before a running competition I enter my target time and it gives me a detailed program per week,” he says.

DownForEveryoneOrJustMe

You’ll love the simplicity of this site, which has an ultra-minimalist aesthetic (think old-school Google) and helps you figure out why you’re not getting into a website.

“We live in a world of temporary connectivity. Mobile data signals like Edge and 3G come and go every time we step in an elevator, and Wi-Fi  routers go down all the time. Using a tool like downforeveryoneorjustme.com allows me to isolate the cause of a potential problem -- is my Internet service provider blocking access to this website, is my router out, or are their servers just down?” says Jesse Waites, founder and CEO of the technical design, development and consulting firm PNTHR.com

Free Antivirus You Can Trust

Microsoft Security Essentials

Microsoft Security Essentials 2.1, our fifth-place finisher, is something of a mixed bag.Microsoft Security Essentials 2.1, our fifth-place finisher, is something of a mixed bag. I like its interface, and it is reasonably good at cleaning up infections, but it falters at stopping new malware, and it plods through its chores.

Security Essentials’ user interface is particularly straightforward—perfect if you don’t want to waste time messing around with your antivirus software.

Microsoft’s program cleans up malware infections quite effectively: In our tests, it identified all active infections on our machine and disabled over 93 percent of the malware. It removed all traces of malware 80 percent of the time—better than any of its competitors in this roundup. In addition, it was one of the two free antivirus applications that didn’t mistake a single safe file for malware.

While Security Essentials excels at removing malware from a PC, it doesn’t do as well at keeping dangerous code off a computer in the first place. It fully blocked 71.4 percent of new malware in our real-world tests, slightly worse than average. In our zoo test, it detected 97.0 percent of known malware samples. With that result, it lags the competition—some packages detected over 99.9 percent of samples.

Security Essentials didn’t unduly slow overall system performance, but it performed a good deal worse than average in file-copy tests and app-installation tests. In scan speeds it also fell behind the pack: Its on-demand scanner completed our virtual obstacle course in a worse-than-average 3 minutes, 56 seconds. The on-access scanner was poky too, clocking in at 6 minutes, 43 seconds.

While Microsoft Security Essentials has some good qualities, you would be better served by looking at some other options.

PC Tools AntiVirus Free

PC Tools AntiVirus Free has some good points—and an annoying habit of promoting the company’s paid software products.PC Tools AntiVirus Free 2012 has its strong points, but it was the worst of the field when it came to blocking new malware. In our real-world blocking tests, PC Tools managed to stop only 57.1 percent of malware samples, placing it well behind its competition in this roundup.

On the plus side, PC Tools detected 99.96 percent of known malware from the past four months. It is also one of the best free antivirus programs at disinfecting a PC. It detected all infections on our test system, and it successfully disabled 93 percent of the infections. It removed all traces of malware in 73 percent of the cases.

PC Tools AntiVirus Free didn’t slow overall system performance much. Its results were mixed when we tested scan speeds, though: Its on-demand scanner completed our tests in a sluggish 4 minutes, 51 seconds. On the other hand, the on-access scanner finished in 2 minutes, 50 seconds, the second-best time of all the products we tested.

PC Tools is easy to use for the most part, and its screens are laid out nicely. One thing I found an­­noying, however, was that it pushed the paid version of the company’s software at every turn.

Comodo Internet Security Premium

Comodo Internet Security is the only product in this group that comes with a firewall.Comodo Internet Security Premium 5.9 has an accessible interface, and it comes with a firewall (it’s the only freebie we tested that has one), but in both malware blocking and cleanup, it ranks be­­hind other free antivirus products we tested. (Note: This link goes to the download for Comodo Internet Security 5.10 in PCWorld's Downloads library.)

Comodo’s performance in our real-world tests was acceptable: It blocked 78.6 percent of new malware, slightly above average compared with other free antivirus programs. It partly blocked an additional 21.4 percent of attacks. But Comodo protected poorly against well-known malware. It detected 98.2 percent of zoo samples—though that may sound like a good score, only two products we tested performed worse.

Malware cleanup may be Comodo’s Achilles’ heel: It detected all infections, but it was successful in disabling malware only 80 percent of the time—quite low compared with the top performers. It left behind more malware remnants than any other product, too; it was successful in removing all traces of malware only a third of the time.

For the most part, Comodo had a light impact on PC performance, but it significantly slowed copying of files across the network. Comodo also took its time in scanning files for threats: Its on-demand scanner took 4 minutes, 31 seconds—the third-slowest result. Meanwhile, the on-access scanner required a staggering 13 minutes, 58 seconds to run, nearly twice as long as the next-slowest product. While its included firewall makes Comodo Internet Security Premium an attractive option, we’d suggest giving other freebies a look first.

Three Supplements

Here are three products to consider as supplements to your main antivirus software.

PC Tools Threatfire

PC Tools Threatfire won’t replace your existing antivirus software, since it won’t effectively clean up malware that has already infected your computer. What it will do, however, is excel at preventing brand-new threats from infiltrating your system.

Because of the way Threatfire works, we were unable to test it against our malware zoo of known threats. Threatfire doesn’t use traditional signature files; instead, it relies solely on behavioral analysis—that is, it identifies malware based on how the invader acts on your PC.

That technology should make Threatfire fantastic at ferreting out new malware, and our tests bear that out. The tool produced outstanding results when blocking malware in our real-world tests: It fully blocked 92.9 percent of malware, and partially blocked the remaining 7.1 percent, the best showing of any free antivirus app we looked at this year.

As mentioned, Threatfire falters at disinfection: It detected and disabled only about half of the infections on our test PC. Because of this, it’s best to install Threatfire on a clean, malware-free system.

Threatfire is designed to work side by side with most antivirus products, so if you just bought a new PC, installing Threatfire is a good addition to your setup routine.

Malwarebytes’ Antimalware

Malwarebytes' Antimalware is a tool for detecting and removing brand-new 'zero-day' malware.Malwarebytes’ Antimalware is another supplemental free product that can help bolster your existing security software. The makers of Malwarebytes’ Antimalware pitch it as a tool for detecting and removing brand-new “zero-day” malware, and it uses a number of different technologies to accomplish this task.

The software did perform decently compared with other freebies when it came to stopping new malware. In our real-world tests, Malwarebytes fully blocked 78.6 percent of samples—slightly better than average—and partially blocked an additional 14.3 percent. It’s also reasonably fast: It had the lightest overall impact on system performance of any free antivirus product we tested.

Malwarebytes isn’t something you’ll want to use as your primary antivirus software, though, as it isn’t great at stopping known malware: It detected a scant 57.1 percent of known malware samples collected from the past four months—far and away the worst result we saw from any of the freebies tested.

The software has a fairly no-frills interface, but it’s straightforward. One clever feature is Chameleon, which lets the program run even when a particularly evil piece of malware attempts to block it.

Malwarebytes’ makers don’t see its product as a first line of antivirus de­­fense, and frankly, neither should you. But it’s something to consider adding to your security toolbox.

Hands On With Ad-Aware 10

Ad-Aware recently released version 10 of its free antimalware software. The program came in too late for our full suite of testing, but we had a look at its slick new user interface.

The work Lavasoft put into the UI shows right from the installation phase. Ad-Aware uses its own custom installer, which downloads the most recent definitions file as part of the installation process, so you don’t have to update Ad-Aware immediately after installing it. That’s slick, but what isn’t is that you still have to restart your system before Ad-Aware can start working.

As part of the installation process, Ad-Aware suggests installing its browser toolbar, and switching your default homepage and search engine to Blekko. These are enabled by default, but you can opt out of them if you wish.

The home screen feels like the dashboard of a powerful application, but it will not confuse even a novice user. The Scan Now button can’t be missed, nor can the current system status. More technically inclined users will easily be able to view scan reports, quarantined files, protection settings, and the status of definition updates.

It is very easy to switch features on and off, although there is no real reason to toggle protection off. The only toggle button I see users routinely using is the one for Gaming Mode, newly available in the free version. This is a silent mode in which Ad-Aware doesn’t show pop-ups. Another significant new feature in the free version is real-time protection, or scans of your computer as you work.

All in all, Ad-Aware 10 is a promising product, and it feels polished and modern. As for its effectiveness, only lab testing can render a verdict.

Opera 12's first beta also swan song for quirky features

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Opera has released the first beta of its next-generation browser, code-named Wahoo. Opera 12 beta 1 for Windows, Mac, and Linux, contains many improvements that modernize the browser. It also abandons several quirky features that die-hard fans are likely to miss.

Much of the browser simply brings it in line with its competition, but there is one stand-out new feature. Formerly known as Opera Reader, it takes a few lines of CSS code to allow you to lay out a Web page like a book. It also allows for page resizing without losing the formatting. Opera has decided to open its Reader to public scrutiny, renaming it CSS3 Generated Content for Paged Media, in hopes that it will gain a wider following.

Another code change in Opera 12 is support for the HTML5 API getUserMedia. This allows sites to interact directly with hardware components, such as your Web cam.

Opera 12 is the first hardware accelerated versionof the browser, which means that it's able to leverage your computer's graphics processor to load sites and images faster. Opera's support is possibly unique in that its opt-in, although that could mean that it's opt-in at the current stage of development.

Other new features in Opera also raise it to the level of the current competition. Opera 12 will have separate processes for plug-ins such as Adobe Flash or Apple QuickTime, since plug-ins are an ongoing source of browser instability. Support for the Do Not Track header is included, as is support for 64-bit Windows and Mac.

Themes finally have arrived in Opera, too, and there are already a fair number available in theOpera's add-ons gallery.

Opera has also ended support for Unite, Widgets, and Voice. The company had touted Unite as 'reinventing the Web' when it launched. While it failed to achieve that hyperbolic goal, it did give people who wanted Web storage and site hosting integrated with the browser an attractive option.

Widgets were similar to Windows desktop widgets, except that they interacted directly with the browser when programmed that way. People who currently use Widgets and Unite will be able to do so for the near future, although Opera said in a blog post announcing the decision to remove them that the features would be fully removed before the end of 2012. The company has provided a dedicated forum for people who want to learn more or ask questions about Widget and Unite.

Opera said that it would be focusing more attention on its newer add-on structure, which more closely emulates the add-ons in Chrome and Safari and debuted in Opera 11.

Opera Voice provided built-in text-to-speech and speech recognition. The company said that it's removing Voice because its database is no longer being maintained. It's not clear yet whether Opera plans to supplant Voice with the complimentary HTML5 APIs.

AMD Radeon HD 7750 Review: A Minimal Graphics Upgrade

Improving integrated-
graphics tech is killing
the sub-$100 graphics
card market, but the
Radeon HD 7750
provides a nice boost at
a reasonable price.
Posted on Monday Apr 23,
2012 4:00 PM by Jason
Cross
Make
no mistake: The AMD
Radeon HD 7750 is not a
fast graphics card. It will
not play the latest games
at a smooth frame rate at
full 1080p resolution with
all the details turned up.
You'll have to reduce the
resolution and dial down
the features in hot new 3D
games to achieve good
performance. Still, it's a
nice improvement over
integrated graphics, and
you can it add it to almost
any PC.
With the introduction of
Intel's Ivy Bridge
processors, new
computers really don't
need entry-level, $50-to-
$70 graphics cards
anymore. But what if you
have an older system with
less-capable integrated
graphics? Though the
Radeon HD 7750 isn't a
barn-burner, it is a good
step up from integrated
graphics, and it does offer
some advantages. At
around $109 (as of April
23, 2012), it's inexpensive.
The card is physically short
and doesn't require any
external power, so you
can plug it into just about
any desktop system. All
you need is an empty PCIe
slot--no need to check
how powerful your power
supply is or anything.
The Radeon HD 7750 is
the cheap, low-end card in
AMD's new Graphics Core
Next lineup, which
debuted with the
impressive Radeon HD
7970. Essentially, this card
has all the technology you
can find in that one--only
much, much slower. The
most direct competitor is
the Nvidia GeForce GT 550
Ti, which has fallen in price
to the same just-over-
$100 level.
In our 3D graphics
performance tests, the
7750 came up a little
short behind the 550 Ti.
The cards' relative
performance in the
synthetic 3DMark 11
benchmark tells the tale.
In most games, the results
were about the same,
with the 550 Ti being just
slightly faster. The
difference is not enough
to notice. We encountered
a few outliers in our tests,
though; in Dirt 3, for
example, the difference
was not quite so
minuscule.
On balance, you'll find that
the GeForce GT 550 Ti is a
bit speedier than the
Radeon HD 7750, but
usually not so much so
that it will have a
dramatic effect on the
games and 3D applications
you run. Where you will
notice a huge difference,
however, is in the power
draw: The 550 Ti and
7750 both sip power
when the PC is sitting idle
at the desktop, but the
550 Ti draws a lot more
power when under load.
You'll need a power
supply with an available
six-pin graphics power
plug on it for the 550 Ti,
whereas the 7750 can run
using just the power that
the PCIe slot itself
supplies.
Clearly, the AMD Radeon
HD 7750 isn't for
everyone. Enthusiasts who
want to make sure that
the latest games run great
and look amazing at high
resolutions will definitely
need more performance
than this graphics card
provides. PC owners who
don't play any games
outside of Facebook
needn't bother.
Admittedly, there is a
niche market consisting of
people who want to play
games that integrated
graphics can't handle so
well, and who might want
superior video quality too,
but have a limited budget
and can't replace their PC's
power supply to meet the
requirements of a more-
capable card. The Radeon
HD 7750 fills that niche,
but not in an especially
impressive fashion. It is
capable and efficient, but
not much more.

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WordPress 3.3.2 is out.

WordPress has
announced a new
security update for all
previous versions of its
free and open source
blogging tool. The
organization wouldn't
reveal how many
vulnerabilities it fixed,
but it did note that they
were in double digits,
and it did elaborate on
some of the changes in
Wordpress 3.3.2. You can
download the new
version from
wordpress.org/download
or from your Dashboard
(Updates menu in your
site's admin area).
Three external libraries
included in WordPress
received security updates:
Plupload (version 1.5.4),
which WordPress uses
for uploading media.
This one was disclosed
by Neal Poole and
Nathan Partlan.
SWFUpload, which
WordPress previously
used for uploading
media, and may still be
in use by plugins. This
one was also disclosed
by Neal Poole and
Nathan Partlan.
SWFObject, which
WordPress previously
used to embed Flash
content, and may still
be in use by plugins
and themes. This one
was disclosed by
Szymon Gruszecki.
WordPress 3.3.2 also
addresses:
Limited privilege
escalation where a site
administrator could
deactivate network-
wide plugins when
running a WordPress
network under
particular
circumstances. This one
was disclosed by Jon
Cave of the WordPress
core security team, and
Adam Backstrom.
Cross-site scripting
vulnerability when
making URLs clickable.
This one was also
disclosed by Jon Cave.
Cross-site scripting
vulnerabilities in
redirects after posting
comments in older
browsers, and when
filtering URLs. This one
was disclosed by Mauro
Gentile.
For all the details, check
out the full WordPress
change log. If you have
discovered a security
vulnerability in
WordPress, you can
responsibility disclose it
via Automattic's Security
webpage.
WordPress is a popular
attack vector for cyber
criminals, as you can see
in the links below.
Update now, if you
haven't already.

Samsung launches Galaxy S III teaser, takes subtle shot at Apple

Samsung is beating its Galaxy
drum quite hard as it nears its
new handset's launch day.
The company today launched a
new teaser video -- the second
related to its Unpacked 2012
event -- enticing people to
acquire "truly smart technology"
that can become "a natural part
of life." The company didn't
show off the highly anticipated
Galaxy S III, but took viewers
through space and found a way
to toss in the Galaxy branding in
the clip's text overlay.
One of the more notable
additions to the video, however,
is the end. Samsung says that
with the right device, users will
be able to "stand out from
everyone else." As the latter part
of that statement is displayed
on-screen, Samsung shows an
image of sheep. Although the
company didn't mention Apple
or its customers by name,
detractors have long called the
iPhone maker's faithful
customers, "iSheep" for their
ostensible willingness to follow
Apple's lead and buy its products
whenever they launch.
Related stories
Samsung issues official Galaxy
S III invite
Samsung Galaxy S III said to
be quad-core phone.
It's possible, of course, that the
sheep had nothing to do with
Apple. But considering there is
no love lost between Apple and
Samsung, and both companies
are trying to best the other in
market share each quarter, it's
hard not to see a link between
the sheep in the video and
Apple.
Samsung plans to announce the
Galaxy S III at its Unpacked 2012
event in London on May 3 .
Although it has been tight-lipped
on the device's features so far,
the latest rumors suggest it
could come with a new design, a
quad-core processor, and a 4.6-
inch Super AMOLED Plus display.

Ice Cream Sandwich updates are coming

The Samsung Nexus S 4G isn't
the only Sprint phone to tuck
into an Ice Cream Sandwich
update .
Today, Sprint announced on its
Web site that it's readying over-
the-air ICS updates for Android
smartphones that include the
Samsung Galaxy S II, and
Samsung Epic 4G Touch, among
others.
Sprint has promised to "begin to
roll out Google's latest version of
Android, Ice Cream Sandwich, to
our customers in 2012," but isn't
sharing its timetable or the
complete list of handsets it'll
support. With more than half a
year to go before 2012's close,
Sprint's guidance remains vague.
For now, Sprint customers with
Android phones will have to
continue playing the waiting
game and hope that Sprint will
spoon out more details sooner
rather than later.

Microsoft releases Skype 1.0 for Windows Phone

Version 1.0 of Skype for Windows Phone is now available in the Windows Phone Marketplace, as reported by WPCentral.com.
The 6 MB free Skype for Windows Phone app runs on Windows Phone 7.5 devices and higher. It works over Wi-Fi or 3G. Version 1.0 replaces the beta of the app which Microsoft rolled out at the end of February.
WPCentral notes that the 1.0 release3 adds the ability to search for and add new contacts and call landlines. However, it does not allow background calling, meaning the app will only allow someone to call if the user has Skype open and is in the app.
Microsoft is expected to more tightly integrate Skype with the Windows Phone 8 operating system release. However, according to early leaks, Skype will still remain a standalone app by the time Windows Phone 8 debuts, which is expected to be before the end of calendar 2012.
There are already Skype for iPhone, Skype for Android and Skype for Blackberry apps available.
WPCentral also noted today that the 2.0 version of Microsoft's SkyDrive cloud-storage app for Windows Phone also is now in the Windows Phone Marketplace, too. Microsoft's SkyDrive team recently added ODF document support and URL shortening, among a few other features, to SkyDrive.

 

Five reasons Adobe's CS6 subscription is smart

Adobe Systems is about to begin a difficult -- but smart -- transition.
The San Jose, Calif.-based company will overhaul its core software business in May when it launches a subscription service called Creative Cloud, which bundles its new Creative Suite 6 products with a swath of other products and services. To make it a success, it'll have to convince customers that it's a better value than traditional software licensing.
And 62 percent reacted negatively to its price: Creative Cloud costs $50 monthly with a year's commitment or $75 monthly with an month-to-month option that's easier to switch on and off. A Team edition for businesses will arrive later this year at a cost of $70 per month per user for an annual commitment. And to lure existing CS3, CS4, and CS5.x customers who might be tempted to pay for perpetual-license upgrades, Adobe has an introductory offer of $30 per month.
The centerpiece of the service is access to the full Creative Suite 6 product line, which includes Photoshop CS6 for image editing, Premiere Pro and After Effects CS6 for video editing, and a host of other packages aimed at designers and creative professionals. The Creative Cloud also includes Adobe's Touch line of tablet apps, the new Edge and Muse programs for the HTML5 era of Web design, Lightroom, and a some online services such as file sharing and Web site hosting.

Adobe's list of CS6 and Creative Cloud prices and components

Creative Suite is optional. Adobe also will sell the traditional perpetual licenses to the software, either individually or in various bundles. With either the traditional sales or or the subscription, the software runs on a customer's computer.
Adobe isn't expecting everybody to go for the subscription immediately.
"This is adobe trying to be a little bit ahead of where the market is," said Scott Morris, senior marketing director for Adobe Creative Professionals. "Some will love it and jump immediately, and others will jump over time."
Indeed, Adobe will have to prove Creative Cloud's merits. But here are reasons why, overall, Adobe is making the right move to add it as an option.
1. Fluidly updated software
In days of yore, customers got their software on floppy disks, CDs, or DVDs. Programmers pulled together as long a list of changes as they could manage before a cutoff date.
But in the Internet era, customers increasingly download the software to begin with, followed by stream of updates, bug fixes, and security patches. Software is becoming a continuously updated project.
That means the programmers who make the software are less confined by the constraints of building a giant, monolithic release. When a feature is done, it can be added in an update distributed online immediately instead gather dust for a year or two awaiting the next major release.
In Adobe's case, it means that Creative Cloud customers will get new features before the perpetual-license crowd. "We are planning on delivering new features that would normally go into CS7 into Creative Cloud first," Morris said. "We plan new features later this year."
This more fluid update style is increasingly common. Chrome and Firefox developers release updates every six weeks. Sun Microsystems adopted a quarterly "release train" for its Solaris operating system years ago. Apple releases relatively frequent updates first with Mac OS X, then with iOS. Windows Update every month stamps out another batch of security vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows and Office.

Adobe's plans this year for Creative Cloud improvements

But the best example, perhaps, is Web sites and Web apps that can change every time a person loads it with a browser.
Continuous updates can make it harder for companies that must ensure various software packages get along together. But it's a powerful force sweeping the industry.
2. Online services
If a Creative Cloud subscriber is running Photoshop or Dreamweaver, the program and its files still are stored on the local computer, so it's not as if the Creative Cloud is some sort of Adobe equivalent of Google Apps.
But the Creative Cloud comes with a range of online services. And this, too, is an important trend in the computing industry Adobe is wise to tap into.
The spotlight is a Dropbox-like ability to sync files across Mac, Windows, iOS, and Android devices; subscriptions come with 20GB of storage space for the service. And a later company-focused version of the Creative Cloud, a more expensive plan at $70 per month for a year's subscription, will offer more, though details won't emerge until later this year.
Another important service is Adobe's Business Catalyst hosting service, which lets subscribers run up to 5 Web sites. It's of course integrated with Adobe's design software such as its new Muse tool that debuts in the CS6 suite, and they also can use the downloadable fonts in Adobe's TypeKit service for a more polished look.
And there are also social tools to show off designs, comment on others' work, share tips, and the like. It's not clear the world needs another social network, but Adobe would be foolish not to try to become more of a hub of activity for its many customers.
So far the online tools pale in comparison to the CS6 software. But as the Internet becomes steadily more capable at running apps, and Adobe's customers become steadily more interested in publishing on it, online services grow more important.
3. Lower barrier to entry
Adobe has a strong reputation for impressive design products, but at a cost of hundreds of dollars for individual titles and hundreds or thousands for suites, many prospective customers are doubtless deterred.
But $75 to use all the Creative Suite products for a month? That's a much easier commitment to make. Even $600 over the course of a year is compelling compared to $2,600 for the whole Master Collection.
Of course, there are caveats: customers will have to keep on paying to keep on using it, and not all of them need the full suite, and existing Master Collection customers can pay only $549 to upgrade to CS6. But providing a lower-cost entry point is a good idea.

Adobe's explanation of the Creative Cloud.

And there are cheaper subscriptions, too, for individual titles such as Photoshop, Illustrator, and Premiere Pro. They can be had via subscription for $20 a month for the most part; the new Muse and Edge tools will cost $15 a month each.
Adobe also has a discounted plan for students that costs $30 a month. It requires a full-year commitment, but Adobe is considering a single-semester option.
There's no option for an even lower price over a longer period, say three years, but Adobe has kicked around the idea, Morris said. "We're definitely open to that," but it's not part of the short term plan, he said.
And there's one more option to mention, a three-month subscription that third-party companies such as Amazon will be able to sell. "It's like buying gift card for Pottery Barn," Morris said.
4. Bundling bonanza
The Creative Cloud comes in one size only: everything.
That means customers who might otherwise have opted for a subset of Adobe products will get access to more -- and perhaps acquire a taste for them. Take for example the $1,300 Design Standard collection, which includes Photoshop, Dreamweaver, InDesign, Fireworks, and Acrobat X Pro. Subscribing to the Creative Cloud, a customer might also discover that Illustrator, Edge, and Premiere Pro useful.
Oh, and how about Lightroom? And you can publish magazines to iPads with the Digital Publishing Suite? The full smorgasboard is available.
It's a great way to hook customers on packages they might not have sprung for individually. And if they prove their worth, the customers will keep on paying for them.
Adobe has some reason to be optimistic. Years ago, it introduced bundles when it moved to its Creative Suite strategy. Customers were frosty on the idea initially, but no more.
"When we first had the idea of creative suites, initially a lot of customers said it's a terrible idea," Morris said. "Now 75 percent of our units sold are suites."
5. Adobe's business benefits
One of the big benefits of subscriptions is that businesses move from bursts of revenue to recurring revenue. That smooths out quarter-to-quarter financial results and ideally, from the perspective of the company doing the selling, means customers keep on paying year after year.
"You have more predictable revenue when you amortize your earnings over a 12-month period compared to a heavy reliance on upgrade cycles," Morris said.
Adobe's quarterly earnings have always been something of a roller coaster as new versions of its products drive sales, but then purchasing drops off during the lulls. Why buy a product if you guess its replacement is coming in a few months and you don't really need it?
With subscriptions, a customer can get in on the action whenever it's convenient, and the upgrade will arrive at no extra cost.
So there are real benefits to customers for Creative Cloud. There are drawbacks, too, but that's why it's optional.

Best Ultrabooks

The latest hot buzzword, "ultrabook" is actually a trademarked Intel marketing term applied to thin laptops that meet certain size and component requirements. Think of it as a a Windows version of a MacBook Air. This is more of a marketing categorization than a real category, but there are enough interesting new systems that fit it for us to break out our favorites.

HP Folio 13 

When it comes to Windows ultrabooks, the HP Folio 13 is the best of the bunch in terms of performance, price, and ergonomics, provided you can live with a less-than-razor-thin design. This laptop is targeted at small businesses but it's really for anyone who wants a reliable ultrabook that isn't a MacBook Air.

HP Envy 14 Spectre

The first big high-design laptop of 2012, the HP Envy 14 Spectre is a bold experiment that largely succeeds, if you're willing to pay a premium for it.

Dell XPS 13

Dell packs a 13-inch display into a very small footprint in the XPS 13 ultrabook, making it one of the few slim laptops that actually top the MacBook Air in some areas.

Toshiba Portege Z835-P330

Another entry in the MacBook Air clone wars, the Toshiba Portege Z835 offers great bang for the buck in some areas, but also looks and feels a bit cheap.

Top All-Purpose Laptops

These mid-size laptops are often very affordable and offer more options for hardware and features than smaller laptops, yet are more portable than desktop replacement models.

1 Dell XPS 14z Dell's XPS 14z offers a balanced approach to thin-and-light, full featured laptops, but has only two USB ports. Full Review | Specs

2 HP Pavilion dv6 HP's dv6 is a classy-looking (though slightly bulky) laptop with a good mix of features for its price. Full Review | Specs

3 Lenovo ThinkPad T420 The venerable T420's staid countenance belies its outstanding performance, reliability, and features. Full Review | Specs

5 Gateway ID47H02u Though not the fastest or most full-featured laptop, Gateway has hit the nail on the head in terms of desgn and overall appeal. Full Review | Specs

6 Asus U46SV This all-purpose laptop is stylish with great stats and numbers, but it's also heavy and you must clean out the software bloat to fully appreciate it. Full Review | Specs

7 Lenovo ThinkPad Edge E420 Fans of ThinkPad keyboards and input devices should welcome this affordable, not-too-heavy model, but gamers and hard-core number crunchers should look elsewhere. Full Review | Specs

8 » Lenovo IdeaPad U400 You won't find a more stylish or capable all-purpose laptop, though it needs a Blu-ray option. Full Review | Specs

9 Sony VAIO S Series (VPCSE13FX/S) Sony's VAIO S Series won't win any awards for performance or multimedia playback, but it's a great light laptop for a business professional. Full Review | Specs

HP Envy 15 (early 2012) HP could have a very satisfying performance laptop in the Envy 15--if it addresses a couple of critical problems. Full Review | Specs 2

How to Buy a Smartphone for Your Business

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Shopping for a new smartphone is tough: With so many phones out there, finding the best one for your work life and your personal life can be headache-inducing. This guide highlights business features among the different operating systems, explains the best specs for business, and offers advice on the apps you should download once you purchase your smartphone.
Also, be sure to check out our consumer cell phone buying guide, which walks you through the general features and specs to look for and test while shopping for a phone.

Operating System

Google's Android (found on multiple devices), Apple's iOS (found only on iPhone models), RIM's BlackBerry OS (found on BlackBerrys of various designs), and Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 all can be ideal for business, but each OS offers different features and advantages. Familiarize yourself with all of the platforms before settling on one. Prior to your shopping trip, ask your IT person whether your mail system is compatible only with certain clients, or if he or she recommends one mobile platform over another for your work email.
Android
Current Android phones run either Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) or Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Many Gingerbread phones will receive an upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich eventually, though, and ICS adds a slew of business-friendly features to the Android platform.
Both Gingerbread and ICS support near-field communication (for making mobile payments), Voice over IP calls, and one-touch word selection and copy/paste.
ICS’s Gmail app has a context-sensitive Action Bar at the bottom of the screen that changes depending on where in the app you are. For example, when you’re looking at an email message, you see options to archive it, trash it, label it, or mark it as unread. When you’re viewing your inbox, the bar changes to display options for composing new messages. Adding attachments from your gallery or other folders is now much easier as well. If you’re a heavy Gmail user, you’ll appreciate these updates.
To help you organize your IMAP and Exchange accounts, the Email app in ICS supports nested mail subfolders. The Email app also supports Exchange ActiveSync v14.
iOS
Traditionally, business users have not favored Apple’s iOS. However, in its latest iteration, iOS 5, the platform has expanded its business features.
The platform update introduces Siri (currently only on the iPhone 4S), which strives to be your very own digital personal assistant. Siri lets you send text messages, create calendar appointments, set alarms, and solve basic math equations via voice command.
Perhaps the biggest deal about iOS 5 for business users is the addition of iCloud, Apple’s cloud service that lets you sync and share documents (as well as photos, videos, and music) across multiple iOS and Mac devices.
In the iOS 5 mail app, you can add rich formatting, such as bold and italic text, to messages, as well as indent text. Mail now has a built-in dictionary, too. Another highlight is the iMessage app, which lets you send messages to any iOS device, regardless of whether it has SMS support.
Windows Phone
Microsoft’s latest version of its mobile platform, Windows Phone “Mango,” has a variety of practical features for business users. Perhaps the most important feature is the Office Hub, which gives you full access to the Microsoft Office Suite; there you can view, edit, and create documents in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Users also have access to OneNote, Microsoft’s version of Evernote, which lets you jot down notes and associate images with them. In addition, with Mango, you can save and share Office documents through Office 365 and Windows Live SkyDrive, so you can access your documents whenever you need them.
Email messages are organized by conversation, with replies to a thread consolidated into a single view that you can follow more easily. You can make multiple inbox groups, too: If you have two work-related inboxes, for example, you can group them together to see all of their messages in one place, while keeping your work email accounts separate from your personal email accounts. You can also pin any of your inboxes to your home screen for quick and easy access.
BlackBerry
All phones with BlackBerry 7 OS (the latest version of RIM’s software) come equipped with BlackBerry Balance, which helps you maintain your business and personal lives on one phone. When your handset is connected to your company's BlackBerry Enterprise Server, Balance keeps your personal information separate and your business information secure.
The incredibly useful BlackBerry Protect lets you back up your data and manage multiple devices. If your BlackBerry is stolen or lost, you can remotely locate it, wipe it, lock it, or change the volume of the ringer. Like Balance, this service is completely free for BlackBerry 7 OS users.
Last but not least, the premium version of Documents to Go is available for free on all BlackBerry 7 OS phones. Users can now compose, edit, and view Word, Excel, and PowerPoint files. This addition is just one more excellent business feature that BlackBerry OS offers its enterprise customers.

The Specs That Matter for Business

The particular phone features described below are crucial to business users, but if you plan on using the same phone for your everyday life, check out our general cell phone buying guide too.
4G
Following a lot of buzz, the next generation of wireless networks, 4G, has arrived in the form of two main technologies: WiMax and Long Term Evolution. The main advantage of 4G lies in its faster download and upload speeds, which significantly improve streaming video and Web browsing, and allow features such as videoconferencing.
If you decide to buy a 4G phone, first confirm that your area has coverage. Verizon currently offers 4G coverage in 175 U.S. cities (check the carrier's coverage map). Sprint has a complete coverage map of its WiMax network, too. AT&T has launched 4G LTE in 15 cities, and it plans to complete the rollout by the end of 2013.
Currently AT&T and T-Mobile are promoting their HSPA+ networks--which essentially use a more advanced version of 3G protocols--as being capable of achieving 4G-like speeds. If you’re looking into buying a 4G phone on AT&T, verify whether it supports an LTE network or an HSPA+ network. Generally a 4G LTE phone will have faster data speeds, but it may also have limited coverage. We have seen “4G-like” speeds on HSPA+ phones in our tests.
HDMI/MHL
An HDMI port will let you hook up your smartphone to an HDTV, which is ideal for giving presentations on the go. Some phones have MHL ports rather than HDMI. The MHL specification (Mobile High Definition Link) is a 1080p HD video and digital audio interface for connecting smartphones and other portable devices (tablets, cameras, and the like) to HDTVs. So what's the big deal? It simultaneously provides power to your phone--something that HDMI cables don't do.
Front-Facing Video Camera
If you plan on making video calls or participating in videoconferences from your phone, make sure that it has a front-facing video camera. Front-facing cameras range from VGA video-only cameras to 2-megapixel cameras that can take still images as well. Video quality, however, won’t be as dependent on the actual camera as it will be on the app or network you are using to make the call.
Built-In Storage
Whether it is in the cloud, in your phone, or available on removable memory, storage is a big factor to consider when you're purchasing a smartphone. If you plan on storing a lot of documents and presentations on your phone (along with your personal photos, music, and videos), this is a spec you’ll definitely want to pay attention to while shopping. Some phones have built-in ROM storage along with a MicroSD slot (for example, an 8GB phone might offer built-in memory plus a MicroSD slot expandable up to 32GB).
Keyboard
If you simply can’t adjust to a touchscreen keyboard, consider a phone with an actual QWERTY keyboard. Smartphones with physical QWERTY keyboards are an endangered species nowadays, but you can still find a few out there. You might opt for a candy-bar model, such as the BlackBerry Bold 9790 or the Motorola XPRT, or a phone with a slide-out keyboard, like the Samsung Captivate Glide.