More Applications In Depth

Microsoft's upgrade avalanche a challenge for IT pros

Microsoft is in the midst of an unprecedented, massive upgrade cycle for its enterprise software products, a refresh wave that represents a major challenge for CIOs and IT managers responsible for charting their companies' technology strategy.

Microsoft server and tool upgrades demand CIOs' attention

CIOs and IT directors tracking the barrage of major upgrades for Windows and Office also need to stay tuned to the refresh cycle for Microsoft's servers and tools, including Windows Server 2012, SQL Server 2012, System Center 2012 and Visual Studio 11.

Two World War II reference apps for the iPad

When I was about 10 years old, I decided it was time to graduate from the Scholastic Reader-approved books of my youth to what I determined was meatier, more adult fare. I checked out a book from the library about World War II--it may well have been one of those Time-Life overviews of the war that doubtlessly make serious historians cringe. But for a 10-year-old it was just the sort of stuff to spark an interest in history that continues to this day.

How to make PHP apps scale

The most popular language for Web apps, PHP tends to buckle under heavy loads -- unless you opt for cloud scaling and a NoSQL back end

Hands on with Facebook Camera for iPhone

Facebook on Thursday launched Camera, a new standalone iPhone app for browsing your friends' photos and sharing new ones of your own. Were Instagram owned by anyone else, it might be sweating bullets right now.

10 questions for Imperva CTO Amichai Shulman

Name: Amichai Shulman

Diary of an App Maker: What it's like to develop for iOS

In my time at Macworld, I've reviewed and tested numerous iOS apps. I've also reported on the challenges that iOS developers face. But it was only recently that I built my first iOS app, along with developer (and frequent Macworld contributor) Marco Tabini. The experience left me with insights into the iOS development process that I probably would never have otherwise discovered, and a better understanding of what the developers of many of our favorite apps go through on a regular basis.

Corel VideoStudio Pro X5: CPU Optimization and HTML 5 Output

With its latest version of VideoStudio Pro, Corel is aiming to crack the Web video production nut. VideoStudio Pro X5 ($80 as of April 30, 2012) is a video-editing application capable of handling everything from start to finish, supplying all that you need to produce videos that you can host, and that play in any HTML 5-compliant browser. But you'll need a computer with one of the latest CPUs to produce cutting-edge video.

Gifting Mac App Store apps, emailing videos, and more

It's time to flush out the latest collection of too-short-for-a-full-entry Mac 911 questions and answers. We start with reader SuSu:

10 questions for BroadSoft CFO James Tholen

Name: James Tholen

The Cobol Brain Drain

As baby boomers retire, the business processes they used to create their Cobol programs may walk out the door with them. Here's what IT organizations are doing about it.

The Grill: TASC CIO Barbie Bigelow

CIO Barbie Bigelow led the effort to build an IT organization and infrastructure from scratch when the TASC systems engineering operation was spun off from Northrop Grumman. Her team completed the cutover in just under 12 months.

Managing Mobile Mania

Unified communications isn't easy or cheap, but for companies that want to differentiate their customer service, it's becoming a must-have. Insider (registration required)

Learn the Basics of Using Pinterest for Business

Should businesses be interested in Pinterest? On the surface, you might not think so: the service would appear to be little more than a showcase for cool jewelry and favorite recipes.

Ask the iTunes Guy: Syncing tips

[Ask the iTunes Guy is a regular column in which we answer your questions on everything iTunes related. If there's something you'd like to know, send an email to the iTunes Guy for consideration.]

Wunderkit for iPhone

Wunderkit helps you work. That's what a productivity app should do, of course, but some unnecessarily bog you down in details. In contrast, Wunderkit--a free iPhone offering from 6 Wunderkinder--makes it easy to create projects and schedule tasks. And it's better than many competing apps at recognizing the realities of the workplace.

Unified communications still fragmented

The technology may get a big push from mobile adoption, but integration among multiple UC components is still a tough slog.

Organize videos by groups in iTunes

In iTunes, there are two ways to categorize your videos: as either Movies or TV Shows. Movies are displayed individually, but TV shows are organized in groups, as they would be if they were episodes in the same show. One anonymous Mac OS X Hints reader takes advantage of this to organize all kinds of videos, regardless of their actual source. He uses his Movies library for very large files and puts everything else in TV Shows. So, for example, in his TV Shows library, he has groups called YouTube Videos, Home Videos, Work Stuff, and so on.

BYOD: New animal, new taming techniques

Bottom Line

HK firm ensures toy safety with PLM tool

Toys are fun to play with, but making them is serious business. Hazardous toys from Greater China make great headline-material for US media, so regional toy manufacturers must make extra efforts to ensure that both their materials and finished products are safe.