optimism

Tidy Up is tool that can help you reduce hard-drive clutter by identifying duplicate files on any mounted disk. This utility's multipane interface has a bit of a learning curve, despite its new "Basic Mode," and the app's comprehensive search criteria and system of smart and manual "baskets" may not be immediately intuitive to casual users.

Anyone who spends time getting familiar with Tidy Up and its three- step approach, however, will find that it's a powerful tool for identifying and dealing with duplicate files, whether you want to delete them, move them, … Read more

When it comes to consuming newspapers on an iPad, I've long preferred PressReader to individual newspaper apps (like, say, USA Today and my local Detroit Free Press). With the latter, I'm just sifting through headlines. But PressReader makes me feel like I'm actually "reading the paper," mostly because it provides a picture-perfect digital reproduction of the real thing.

Now it's letter-perfect as well. PressReader 3.1 has been optimized for Retina displays, meaning newspapers viewed on the new iPad look nothing short of dazzling.

In case you're not familiar with it, the app lets you subscribe to the digital editions of more than 2,000 national and international newspapers -- great for news junkies and folks who want to keep up on what's happening back home.… Read more

Google is planning to penalize sites that overuse search-engine-optimization techniques, according to a report.

Barry Schwartz over at Search Engine Land has posted an audio clip from a panel discussion at the recent South by Southwest confab, in which Google engineer Matt Cutts discusses the plans.

In search results, Google wants to "level the playing field" regarding "all those people doing, for lack of a better word, over optimization or overly SEO--versus those making great content and great sites," Schwartz quotes Cutts as saying, in a rough transcription.

"We are trying to make GoogleBot smarter, … Read more

Though many developers were initially tight-lipped about when they would release optimized games for the new iPad--now that the device is here--the news has started rolling in.

Gameloft announced today that four popular games, Order and Chaos Online, Modern Combat: Fallen Nation, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, and Gangstar Rio: City of Saints, are now optimized for Apple's Retina Display and ready for the new iPad.

Coming from four different genres, the four games now updated for the iPad have already seen huge success in the iTunes App Store. Order and Chaos Online is an expansive MMO that strongly resembles Blizzard'… Read more

Nothing says "I love you" like free software.

In honor of Valentine's Day, IObit is offering Advanced SystemCare 5 Pro (Win) free of charge. It normally sells for $19.95.

Update: IObit is currently returning a "server overloaded" message when you enter your e-mail address. Hopefully they'll work out the kinks and deliver the promised license to everyone who requests it.

Take note, however: this offer is good today and today only. After the clock strikes midnight, you'll either have to pony up $20 or settle for Advanced SystemCare 5 Free (which is … Read more

BlueSprig, one of the newer PC utility developers on the block, is today pushing out full versions of its JetBoost and JetClean apps, both of which launched in beta earlier this year.

Tipping the scales at around 3MB each, JetBoost and JetClean are meant to be lightweight, easy-to-use utilities that can speed up and clean out your computer with minimal input.

At a click, JetBoost scans your PC and selectively halts active processes and services in order to boost your performance. You can choose to optimize your computer's performance for work or gaming, or you can manually halt processes … Read more

The folks at IObit have just released version 5 of their highly rated Advanced SystemCare program, and it still packs a punch.

Now compatible with both 32- and 64-bit systems, and dressed in a slightly improved user interface, Advanced SystemCare 5 is a great all-in-one PC utility that can scan, repair, and optimize many aspects of your system. Choose between Quick Care and Deep Care modes, depending on how invasive you want to get (and how much time you have). Also, optimize performance with the improved Turbo Boost mode.

New to version 5 is the Active Boost function, which monitors … Read more

The other day I encountered a serious problem with my iTunes account that seemed to require major surgery, so I figured I'd stop in at my local Apple Store and mosey up to the Genius Bar downstairs to see if there was a less draconian fix than the one I'd read about online.

Since I was there during Happy Hour, I figured I'd go for the two-for-one special and also ask why the battery on my new iPhone 4S was puttering out in about 12 hours (with only minimal use), well short of what I was getting with my old 3GS.

For the uninitiated, the Genius Bar is the place where you take your Apple problems. You actually need to make an appointment, and like the doctor's office, the knowledgeable Apple reps who help fix your problems don't necessarily see you right away, especially if you make an appointment at 5:50 p.m. when the place is a madhouse. At least in Manhattan, anyway. … Read more

Older and slower PCs with limited memory resources can benefit from a memory optimizing tool. These tools don't add memory or alter the way it works (such as by overclocking) but simply free up system resources, usually by purging unnecessary files, emptying caches, and scrounging for available RAM. PC Brother Memory Optimization Free is just such a tool. It displays your system's memory use and helps you optimize it for your needs. It's a standalone app that also comes bundled with PC Brother's System Care, which is also free.

Memory Optimization Free's basic interface opens … Read more