Applications

Desktop Apps Topic Center

Read the latest news, reviews, opinions and in-depth analysis about desktop applications

Crowd-funding site offers open alternative to Kickstarter

Crowd-funding website Crowdtilt officially launched on Friday, expanding upon the collective fundraising model pioneered by Kickstarter to enable raising money for any project -- even a beer blitz.
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Google abandons big, black drop-down menu

Google has begun replacing the chunky, black drop-down menu of services it launched in November as part of an effort to integrate Google+ across its whole platform.

Oracle buying Taleo for $1.9B in direct hit at SAP

Oracle is buying cloud-based talent management and employee recruitment software vendor Taleo for roughly $1.9 billion, the company announced Thursday. The move comes shortly after SAP's move to acquire SuccessFactors, a close competitor of Taleo, for $3.4 billion in a deal that has yet to close.

EPIC sues FTC over Google privacy plan

The Electronic Privacy Information Center has filed a lawsuit against the Federal Trade Commission to force the agency to take action against Google over planned changes in collecting personal data.

Salesforce.com shakes up Standard support plan features

Salesforce.com has made a series of changes to its support services that include the removal of certain features from the Standard tier, but which the company says overall will provide a better experience for customers.

New social site Pinterest attracts enthusiasm, scrutiny

Just as it enjoys an initial surge of popularity, a new social networking site called Pinterest is also experiencing its first bout of controversy. Observers are accusing the site of secretly embedding code in user content to generate revenue.

Yahoo ousts half its board

As part of an ongoing effort to recover from a downward spiral, Yahoo said on Tuesday that four board members, including its chairman, will step down.

Dating site matches not so scientific

Users flock to online dating sites in ever greater numbers, but despite their marketing claims, services such as Match.com and eHarmony may not be offering potential mates chosen through rigorous scientific methods, a group of psychologists and sociologists have charged.

Top EULA Gotchas: Website Fine-Print Hall of Shame

Long, confusing, and littered with jargon, end-user license agreements (EULAs) are all too easy to ignore. Instead of taking the time to read and understand the legalese, we just scroll to the bottom, click Accept, and get on with our lives. Did checking the "I agree" box have any consequences? Who cares, right? Gulp!

SAP community portal launch date still unclear due to bugs

Serious technical problems that have delayed the rollout of an upgrade to SAP's community portal are persisting, to the point where the company is no longer specifying a launch date.

Flexing NoSQL: MongoDB in review

MongoDB shines with broad programming language support, SQL-like queries, and out-of-the-box scaling

Want to Build an App? Consider These 7 Points First

Smartphones and tablets are dominating technology, and apps are among the top selling points for each mobile OS. With Apple's and Google's app stores each having over 500,000 apps and tens of billions of downloads, the desire to be a part of this growing market is strong. Apps can be useful for internal use by your company, or as a way to collaborate with clients, vendors, customers, and the public. Before deciding to develop an app for your business, though, take these considerations into account.

Which Web Host Do You Need? Six Small-Business Plans Compared

Websites don't build themselves. They require a considerable investment of energy, expertise, and design know-how to construct and launch. But building a site is only half the story: Websites also have to be hosted on servers, ready for--you hope--the thousands of people who are dying to read your content, hire your firm, or pay for your services.

Komodo Edit: Feature-packed free programmers' editor

If you're not perfectly content with the editor you're currently using, you might want to consider Komodo Edit (free). Komodo offers some compelling features at a price that can't be beat.

Image gallery: 5 online backup services keep your data safe

Backing up can be easier if you send your data to the cloud. We look at 5 of the most well-known online backup services to see how they compare.

5 online backup services keep your data safe

Backing up can be easier if you send your data to the cloud. We look at five of the best-known online backup services to see how they compare.

Send Faxes From the Web: Three Services Tested

Though you might be tempted to ditch your office fax machine, you probably have to send out at least a few faxes every year. Windows lets you fax from the OS itself; but it requires you to use a landline that your small business may not want tied up, and it lacks security and mobile features that your business may need.

Take Great Product Photos for Your Online Store

When you're selling items on shopping sites such as eBay and Etsy, presentation and marketing are just as important as producing a high-quality product. Customers are bombarded with images of goods of all shapes and sizes. Since they can't try things on or test them out, it's important for you to provide a clear, accurate, and appealing representation. Even if the cashmere scarf you knitted is beautiful in person, no one will want it if it appears out of focus, looks poorly lit, or sits wrapped around your unshaven friend's neck.

Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate: Easy and powerful, but not perfect

Wondershare Video Converter Ultimate converts video, rips DVDs, records and downloads online video, and even edits and processes video with special effects.

Get the Most From Your Netflix Streaming Subscription

So you've decided to get Netflix. Smart move: Even with last year's notorious price hikes, the company's Unlimited Streaming service is a ridiculously good deal at $7.99 per month. You get commercial-free movies and TV shows, with no limits on viewing, streamed to just about any device you prefer--smartphone, tablet, game console, set-top box, and so on.