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Some people consider that computers are just machines, while others get into the danger zone with the care (and sometimes a bit more) they show for their PCs. Well, you don't have to be a lonely maniac that lives for his computer and doesn't interact with real humans to understand that maintenance software can help you and your computer have a better life together, and the software suite I have for you now is one of the choices that is worth considering. Its name is System Cleaner, and comes from Poinstone Software.


Setup

The last version of this application is 5.54, to be as accurate as possible, and its setup package has 3.24MB in size. The trial version available for download has limited features, and after 15 days, the program will stop working without a valid license code. As you can see in the screenshots below, installing System Cleaner is as easy as it gets, so let's leave this part behind and move on.

Interface
Most system cleaners look great, and this suite is no exception to the rule. System Cleaner 5 is very easy to use, and from its main window, you get access to more than a dozen tools, from the Registry Cleaner to the File Associations Manager. Absolutely all the graphics look outstanding, as you can see in the Welcome area, for example. Just click the thumbnail to the left to view the full size picture and see what to wait from this program's interface...


Features

The features of this program are grouped into the following categories: Clean Up & Repair, Optimize & Improve, Privacy & Security, System Control and, at last, Analyze & Compare. Now, let's have a quick look at each of them...

The first two categories could be easily merged into a single one, since they have 4 tools with close purposes - Disk Cleaner, Registry Cleaner, Registry Defrag and Duplicate Files (remover).

Next, we have the Privacy Protector and Shredder, inside the Privacy & Security category. Most tools that can be found inside this program are wizard-style, so you'll be guided all along the way, even if you're shredding files for the first time, for an example.

In the end, things get really interesting, since the last two categories have six handy tools - the Startup, Uninstall and Internet Explorer Extenions Manager, inside System Control, and Disk Space Explorer, System Snapshot and the File Associations Manager, grouped under the Analyze & Compare banner.


The Good

System Cleaner 5 is an excellent system maintenance suite that can be used by beginners and experienced users alike, and currently the special offer allows you to purchase it for only 29.95$.

The Bad

Additional features like parental control and tracks removal would be a nice addition, considering the fact that some competitors can offer more for about the same price tag.

Conclusion

I usually don't like to say "buy this" or "don't buy it", unless the product under my scope is an amazing one or a complete failure, so now I'll only say "take your time and try System Cleaner". It's your decision, but in my opinion, this program is worth at least your time to hit the download link and give it a try.

Developer: Pointstone Software, LLC.
Price: 29.95$
Trial Link: Download

The MS-DOS era is gone, there is no doubt about that, but it's quite amazing to see that few programs live on even today. For example, WinRar still comes with a command-line unpacker, and this is not the only program that keeps the DOS heritage alive. System Analyser, the program we'll talk about today, is a 15 years old software that detects all hardware in your computer, giving detailed information about every device you can think of.


Setup

System Analyser's last version is 5.3r, its release date being the 27th of June. Practically, there's no setup package and no installation that you should take care of. The files of the 14 days trial version come inside a ZIP archive that has a size of only 241kb, so no matter how slow your Internet connection is, downloading it shouldn't be a problem. Once the archive is properly saved on your hard drive, unpack all the files to a folder and run the file called SA53S.COM.


Interface
As you can expect, there's not much to ask from this program when talking about its interface. People that starting using computers in the second half of the last decade of later will consider System Analyser to be a really "antique" piece of code, in terms of looks and user interaction. There are no cute icons, no toolbars, not even a menu as you are used to see in most Windows programs these days, but...


Features

...unlike many Windows programs, that promise a lot and fail to accomplish those promises, System Analyser does exactly what it should. As you can see in the screenshots below, there is a lot of detailed information about the hardware devices of your computer to be obtained with this program, and sometimes this can prove useful for troubleshooting purposes too.

If you pay attention to the interface, you'll notice that in the bar at the bottom of the screen, some letters are yellow. These are the shortcut letters leading to a certain area/feature of the program, such as Save, Print or Next (page). These being said, I will add the fact that System Analyser is not Vista compatible at this time, but you can use it with old MS-DOS or Windows 3.1 computers, being just as effective as with the latest PCs running Windows XP.


The Good

System Analyser is a cheap software with a very long history behind that does its job and can be easily included on a bootable CD/DVD used for troubleshooting or initial system setup/testing.

The Bad

No matter how nice it is for me to remember the MS-DOS years, this program looks ancient today, and probably a move into the GUI area would be a wise choice.

Conclusion

As long as I can grab EVEREST or SiSoft's Sandra, I won't spend my money on any program like System Analyser, but don't get me wrong - I am sure that certain people, especially computer technicians, can take full advantage of this 12$ application.

Developer: Hans Niekus
Price: 12$
Trial Link: Download

Augmentix launches XTG630, the new Fully-Rugged Notebook, inspired by Dell Latitude ATG630 model, using the same Image, Firmware and BIOS.

It is based on Augmentix Armored Protection System that supports reliable operation in the most challenging environments.
Also, the new model tested on military standards demonstrated that it can work even in extreme temperatures, water, dust and dirt ingress, shock and drops, vibration, humidity, salt fog, altitude and potentially hazardous material conditions.

It includes the most advanced mobile performance platform available with Intel Core 2 Duo, Dual Core Processors, 800 MHz FSB and up to 4MB of L2 cache.

The LCD screen measures 14.1 inches incorporating the technology called DirectVue supporting superior sunlight viewing.

The price varies between 3,200$ and 3,500$ depending on the configuration.

After Zuma, Luxor and Luxor 2 for PC, the three arcade puzzle games that created addiction among millions of gamers, RealArcade prepared the releasing of Luxor 2 mobile phone version.

The game keeps the same basic concept.
The player must shoot the snake to create matches of 3 or more same colored balls that will explode, this preventing them to enter the Pyramid.

While the balls are destroyed, power-ups are falling and they have to be catched. In order to earn an extra life 30 coins are necessary to be caught when falling.

RealArcade announced new bonus levels, 9 new power-ups and 30 levels to play in 2 game modes.

The game received many important awards across time for its success.
The mobile version promises high-potential and is expected to be appreciated at the same level as its predecessors.

Luxor 2 for mobiles will be released at the end of August.

Adobe Systems is expected to launch on Tuesday the beta version of Flash Player, also called Moviestar, which is meant to bring support for H.264, also known as MPEG-4 Part 10.

This novelty will consist of high-definition videos in Flash content from the Web, allowing a more effective compression of video.
It also provides more flexibility for application to a wide variety of network environments.

According to Mark Randall, the chief strategist for dynamic media at Adobe, the beta version is optimized for dual-core processors and supports version 2 of High-Efficiency Advanced Audio Coding, a very efficient audio compression, and part of MPEG4. HE-AAC v2 couples Spectral Band Replication with Parametric Stereo to enhance the compression efficiency of stereo signals.

Adobe decided the availability of the standard in this period after it started to be used more and more by media distributors and content producers, large websites like YouTube.

Its competitor, Microsoft, has spread its Silverlight with support for Windows Media Audio and Video and also VC-1, a video compression standard.
Silverlight is a plug-in that provides rich interactive applications for the Web.
Microsoft will also add support for H.264 depending on the customer feedback.