candidates

Lightroom 4.1 test version adds Canon 5D Mark III support

Well, that didn't take long.

Less than four weeks after Adobe Systems released Lightroom 4, the company has issued a release candidate for Lightroom 4.1 to squash bugs and add support for one of the hottest cameras going right now, the Canon 5D Mark III.

The 22-megapixel, full-frame SLR brings new low-light sensitivity, faster performance, overhauled autofocus, and other improvements over its 3-year-old predecessor. But until now, Lightroom fans who have the coveted $3,500 camera could only see its raw files by converting them into the Digital Negative format with Adobe's DNG Converter software.

Other improvements … Read more

Windows 8 Release Candidate to surface by early June?

Could Microsoft unveil the Windows 8 Release Candidate as soon as early June? At least one report says yes.

Blogging site WinUnleaked.tk seems certain of that, spilling the beans over the weekend that "we know the Release Candidate of Windows 8 will be shared with the public between the end of May to the beginning of June." Apparently receiving the intel from an unnamed source, the site notes that the RC will sport at least a few changes from the current beta.

Modifications are in store for the Charms bar, the desktop version of Internet Explorer 10, … Read more

Windows 8 Developer Preview: Come and get it

Those of you interested in taking the current flavor of Windows 8 for a spin can now download and install the Developer Preview edition.

Being demoed at Microsoft's Build conference this week, the Developer Preview is a prebeta version showing off the operating system at its current stage. Though technically designed for developers, no registration is required, so anyone can download and install it.

Windows 8 to be released to manufacturing by April?

Windows 8 could be released to manufacturing by April, according to a "not so crazy" rumor offered by Mary Jo Foley of CNET sister site ZDNet.

In her column yesterday, Foley cited a "trusted source," who says that Microsoft is currently on track for Windows 8 to be released to manufacturing by April. RTM, or release to manufacturing, is the final version of a product just before it reaches consumers. For example, Windows 7 was released to manufacturing in July 2009 and then officially launched a few months later in October.

According to Foley's source, … Read more

Firefox 5 locks down, almost ready for release

Although it's only been around for three months, don't get too comfortable with Firefox 4.

Today, Mozilla has updated the Firefox 5 beta to release candidate status (download for Windows | Mac | Linux), which includes improves support for "future-Web" technology, speeds up the browser, and makes multiple smaller tweaks to the browser.

Following the path cut by Google with Chrome's rapid-release program, the changes to Firefox 5 are several orders of magnitude smaller than those made in Firefox 4 yet are not insignificant. Most importantly, Firefox 5 release candidate makes multiple under-the-hood tweaks to improve performance. … Read more

Not only does IE9 not suck, it even rocks out a bit

The bottom line: Internet Explorer 9 is surprisingly competitive across the board. Zippy browsing speeds, minimalist layout, and innovative features make this not only the best version of IE to date, but will catapult Internet Explorer back into the browser wars. The one big drawback? You must have Windows 7 or Vista to use it. XP users are stuck on IE8. Forever.

Review: The sound bite on Internet Explorer 9 will be a variation of "it doesn't suck," yet the changes to the browser go far deeper than that glib comment can reflect. Microsoft engineered a campaign, … Read more

Shuttle Discovery's last hurrah

Links from Thursday's episode of Loaded:

Mozilla ready for Release Candidate 4 test

IE9 gets a release date

Cloud saving coming to PS3

Kinect breaks iPad sales records

New Apple iOS 4.3 now available

Shuttle Discovery's last flight

Mozilla prepares to push Firefox 4

Mozilla updated Firefox 4 today to release candidate status, meaning that the features are locked, and barring the discovery of any major bugs, this version is likely to become the browser's official release. Available to download for Windows, Mac, and Linux, Firefox 4 release candidate 1 contains no major bug fixes, and instead offers a series of stability, compatibility, and performance tweaks.

Longtime Firefox 4 beta watchers will notice a squaring off of the browser's tabs, and for those who missed it in the last beta, the browser will now automatically pin itself to your Windows 7 taskbar … Read more

IE9 release candidate tops 2 million downloads

Microsoft says the release candidate for Internet Explorer 9 has been downloaded more than 2 million times since its release late last week.

Microsoft first released the software to the public last Thursday, after a five-month beta run with a total download count that topped 25 million. Later this month the company will offer an upgrade through the Windows Update software to those beta users who have not yet updated to the release candidate.

Included in this new version of the browser software are some 2,000 changes made since the last beta. The build also includes two new security … Read more

IE9 RC debuts with 'do not track'

SAN FRANCISCO--The next generation of Internet Explorer is nearly ready for the public at large, as Microsoft announces the release candidate of Internet Explorer 9 at the Hang Art Gallery in San Francisco's Union Square this morning.

A massive list of improvements debuted in the new RC, available for 32-bit Windows 7; 64-bit Windows 7; 32-bit Windows Vista; and 64-bit Windows Vista. Among the most notable enhancements are the new ActiveX filter, expanded support for HTML5 and "future-tech" standards, and advertiser tracking protection, which also was introduced this week into a prerelease version of Firefox 4.

The … Read more