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The report, filed by Rene Ritchie at iMore, states that Apple will begin its U.S. preorders on September 12 while international orders should begin the first week of October, likely October 5.

Shipments from preordered iPhones should reach customers about nine days later, according to the report. In years past, many customers who preorder their iPhones have received them a day or two earlier than the scheduled release date.

Ritchie writes that iMore's sources for this story have reported accurate information in the past, though no official word from Apple has been released.

Despite a plethora of rumors … Read more

So you're still logging on with the same old Windows log-on screen, day in, day out....You're right: it's extremely boring. Can't something be done about it? Yes. You can change the Windows log-on screen, but Windows doesn't make it as easy as changing your wallpaper or even your user account picture. Still, it's simple enough to do with help from tools like Saurabhorange's Logon Screen Changer.

This free app can banish the blue and replace it with high-resolution images that don't take up much space. It comes with a gallery of … Read more

FB Flicker by Guppy Media is free software that promises to make your Facebook albums more exciting, and while it didn't quite live up to the hype, it was extremely easy to use. One of the main drawbacks is that your friends will also need to have the app installed to see the effects you've added to your albums.

The application is an add-on that will work with Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or any system running on Windows. There are no Help files or wizards to aid the user, but there is really no need. Once installed, … Read more

Dell will sell its sleekest ultrabook with a version of Ubuntu Linux this fall.

The Dell XPS 13 ultrabook will be offered with Ubuntu 12.04LTS preloaded in select geographies, the company said in a statement.

The initiative is an extension of Project Sputnik, a pilot project aimed at creating an Ubuntu-based developer laptop.

Dell is taking the project "from pilot to product this fall" and allowing developers "to create 'microclouds' on their laptops...and then deploy that environment seamlessly to the cloud." … Read more

What's better than business scheduling software for keeping you on time, on track, and on your toes? How about business scheduling freeware? Duoserve's ScheduFlow 12 is an enterprise-quality calendar, scheduling, and contact management program that replaces paper-based calendars and appointment books. You can share calendars, appointments, and other data with networked users via a LAN or the Internet using e-mail or Web posting. It offers a full range of top-drawer features, including mobile device integration that syncs data with Outlook and most devices, Reports, Resource Utilization features like 3D Charts, and productivity applications such as Contacts, Timelines, and … Read more

When we saw the name Doc Scrubber, we pictured a surgeon with scrubbed hands raised. While BrightFort's freeware does indeed scrub docs, it sanitizes Microsoft Word DOC files, not the hands of sawbones. Doc Scrubber extracts, displays, and removes the metadata hidden in many DOC files used in earlier versions of Microsoft Word. This metadata sometimes contains personal, proprietary, or potentially embarrassing information, or even just stuff you'd rather not share or post online. Doc Scrubber lets you decide just what data it removes. It works with older versions of DOC files, not the new DOCX format, but … Read more

The bottom line: Extensions, competitive page-load times, solid features, and good support for "future Web" technologies make Opera 12 an excellent browser, but it's treading water where it used to lead.

Review: The second-oldest browser currently in use, Opera debuted way back in 1994 and continues to attract attention. Its feature-phone version claims more than 160 million users worldwide. While desktop Opera isn't quite as heavily used, it has developed a reputation as a leader on feature development, and can hold its own against the big four.

Opera covers the basics with tabbed browsing, mouse-over previews, … Read more

The bottom line: Extensions, competitive page-load times, solid features, and good support for "future Web" technologies make Opera 12 an excellent browser, but it's treading water where it used to lead.

Review: The second-oldest browser currently in use, Opera debuted way back in 1994 and continues to attract attention. Its feature-phone version claims more than 160 million users worldwide. While desktop Opera isn't quite as heavily used, it has developed a reputation as a leader on feature development, and can hold its own against the big four.

Opera covers the basics with tabbed browsing, mouse-over previews, … Read more

If you don't know by now that Windows doesn't really delete files when you delete them, it's time to learn the truth. Fact is, Windows just removes data from the file system when you delete it; the data remains on your disk until it's overwritten by new data. Until then, it can be recovered, and it can sometimes be recovered even then. CyLog's CyberShredder is a free tool that securely deletes data and wipes its traces from your disk. It overwrites deleted files with random data to make deleted files unrecoverable. Although this tool is … Read more