http://news.softpedia.com Softpedia News - Reviews Softpedia News en-us 2001 - 2013 Softpedia. All rights reserved. Mon, 20 May 2013 12:08:05 GMT Mon, 20 May 2013 12:08:05 GMT News http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss 10 http://news.softpedia.com/base_img/softpedia_logo.gif http://news.softpedia.com http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Stellarium-Review-350212.shtml Star gazing is an amazing activity, but things get a lot more interesting when you actually know what you are looking at. Stellarium is a realistic, open source education tool that puts a virtual planetarium on your desktop and helps you identify celestial objects, constellations, and much more.

Stellarium must be an epiphany for astronomy aficionados and educated... (read more)]]> Mon, 20 May 2013 07:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Stellarium-Review-350212.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Stellarium-Review-350212.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Iulia Ivan) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PhrozenSoft-VirusTotal-Uploader-Review-354000.shtml Asking for a second opinion is always a good idea when scanning suspicious files. With more than 40 antivirus engines available, Google’s VirusTotal online service makes for a great choice for checking a file for viruses.

Submitting an item for verification can be done easily either through the online interface or via their own desktop c... (read more)]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 16:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PhrozenSoft-VirusTotal-Uploader-Review-354000.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PhrozenSoft-VirusTotal-Uploader-Review-354000.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Metro-Last-Light-Review-354221.shtml Metro 2033, the first-person shooter that came out from 4A Games and THQ back in 2010, was the definition of a flawed gem, as it delivered a great world and atmosphere but was let down by gameplay bugs and some wonky mechanics.

With Metro: Last Light, the game's sequel, 4A Games and new publisher Deep Silver want to deliver a drastically improved experience ... (read more)]]> Fri, 17 May 2013 13:31:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Metro-Last-Light-Review-354221.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Metro-Last-Light-Review-354221.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dobra) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/BetterDesktopTool-Review-353652.shtml Having a single monitor can be a difficult task if you’re used to working with more than several windows at once. Windows OS makes available a few shortcuts for switching between applications and organizing them on the desktop, but for some users this is not enough, and extra desktops are required for better efficiency.

BetterDesktopTool is designed s... (read more)]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 16:01:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/BetterDesktopTool-Review-353652.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/BetterDesktopTool-Review-353652.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Sanctum-2-Review-353951.shtml There are never enough points for all the weapons I want and never enough building blocks to make sure that enemies have a hard time reaching my core.

The paragraph above sums up my feelings before starting each new wave battle in Sanctum 2 and also explains why the game is an interesting mix of tower defense and first person-shooter that should appeal to fans o... (read more)]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 14:41:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Sanctum-2-Review-353951.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Sanctum-2-Review-353951.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dumitrescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Anomaly-2-Review-353427.shtml Anomaly: Warzone Earth surprised a lot of people back in 2011 when it was released for the PC, because it turned the tower defense genre on its head by allowing players to go on the offense and attack stationary towers with their units.

Since then, 11 Bit Studios has worked on a full-fledged sequel that not only introduces fresh towers, units, and a new story, but ... (read more)]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 08:34:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Anomaly-2-Review-353427.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Anomaly-2-Review-353427.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dobra) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Leviathan-Warships-Review-352885.shtml 10 seconds. That’s the interval that can mean the difference between success and failure in Leviathan: Warships, between sailing away without a problem (apart from a pesky fire and some problems with the left bank of weapons) and gently gliding towards the bottom of the sea while enemies laugh and clap as they move away.

The main mechanics of Levi... (read more)]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 14:31:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Leviathan-Warships-Review-352885.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Leviathan-Warships-Review-352885.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dumitrescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/ios/Gemini-Rue-Review-352698.shtml One of the best point and click adventure games of the past decade, Gemini Rue has been recently ported on iOS platform. Created by Joshua Nuernberger and published by Wadjet Eye Games, Gemini Rue was released back in 2011 on PC platform.

Featuring a compelling sci-fi story set in a dystopian world, the PC version of Gemini Rue’s only drawbacks are the p... (read more)]]> Mon, 13 May 2013 08:01:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/ios/Gemini-Rue-Review-352698.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/ios/Gemini-Rue-Review-352698.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Jumpcut-Review-345239.shtml The copy/paste function is one of the most used computer operations. It comes in handy when having to move or copy information from one place to another, but what if you could take it to the next level? For this, you can use Jumpcut.

Jumpcut enables you to view all your Mac's clipboard history in the menu bar and also access all the text snippets you've copied while ... (read more)]]> Sat, 11 May 2013 17:11:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Jumpcut-Review-345239.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Jumpcut-Review-345239.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Alexandru Tanase) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Logon-Screen-Rotator-Review-352476.shtml Logon Screen Rotator is a simple application built specifically to help users change the original screen loaded by Windows when booting up.

This image is also displayed when locking the computer, so you don’t get to see it only when rebooting the system.

The application is free of charge and it does not require too much effort from the... (read more)]]> Sat, 11 May 2013 15:11:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Logon-Screen-Rotator-Review-352476.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Logon-Screen-Rotator-Review-352476.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-Lumia-920-Review-Solid-Enough-But-Still-Misses-Core-Features-351923.shtml Nokia decided to bet everything on Windows Phone a few years ago and after six consecutive negative quarters, the company actually managed to make some profit from selling phones. Well, that’s not entirely true if we take into consideration the fact that most of the profit comes from Nokia Siemens Network.

How... (read more)]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 09:07:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-Lumia-920-Review-Solid-Enough-But-Still-Misses-Core-Features-351923.shtml Reviews http://news.softpedia.com/news/Nokia-Lumia-920-Review-Solid-Enough-But-Still-Misses-Core-Features-351923.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PassBox-Review-351780.shtml There is no need to emphasize the need for a password manager, since almost every online activity is secured through a username and a countersign. Solutions for storing this sensitive information are many, and most of them are very easy to use.

PassBox is not far from this description but, unlike the popular solutions in its category, it does not integrate in web br... (read more)]]> Thu, 9 May 2013 15:51:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PassBox-Review-351780.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/PassBox-Review-351780.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Might-Magic-Heroes-VI-Shades-of-Darkness-Review-352062.shtml
There are two new campaigns to enjoy, one focused on the new Dark Elves and their Dungeon city, and another linked to the Necropolis.

The game also introduces new heroes, new units, an Artificial Intelligence that’s supposed to be smarter, and a host of other improvements.<... (read more)]]> Thu, 9 May 2013 14:31:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Might-Magic-Heroes-VI-Shades-of-Darkness-Review-352062.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Might-Magic-Heroes-VI-Shades-of-Darkness-Review-352062.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dumitrescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/ios/Sorcery-Review-351468.shtml The first installment of the four-part Sorcery! series created by Steve Jackson in early ‘80s has recently made its debut on iOS platform.

Unlike other tablet-top games that encourage multiplayer gaming, Sorcery! is all about single-playing. The title presents itself as an adventure gamebook series that mixes RPG elements and a unique combat system.
<... (read more)]]> Wed, 8 May 2013 13:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/ios/Sorcery-Review-351468.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/ios/Sorcery-Review-351468.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Zeno-Clash-2-Review-351342.shtml The original Zeno Clash delivered a truly unique experience back in 2009 when it was released as a first-person brawler with a special world and some never-before-seen characters.

Now, after four years, Chilean developer Ace Team is back with Zeno Clash 2, a sequel that promises to continue the story, while upping the ante in terms of the world, the characters, ... (read more)]]> Tue, 7 May 2013 14:31:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Zeno-Clash-2-Review-351342.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Zeno-Clash-2-Review-351342.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dobra) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Bluenote-Review-347107.shtml Note-taking is a common activity in our lives. Unless you've got the memory of an elephant, you need to write down the important information you inevitably encounter.

Of course, the 'note-taking' software category is pretty much crowded nowadays and choosing an app really comes down to your tastes. What change could another note-taking app bring that the well-establ... (read more)]]> Mon, 6 May 2013 17:11:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Bluenote-Review-347107.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Bluenote-Review-347107.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Octav Fedor) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Don-039-t-Starve-Review-351028.shtml The first time I died in Don’t Starve it was at the hands of a pig, who apparently has a number of homes in the woods, and it was mainly my fault: I did not yet understand the fact that I needed to click once for each swing of my axe.

This game is not about success or even about progress, this is an experience about pure survival, about using the environ... (read more)]]> Mon, 6 May 2013 13:21:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Don-039-t-Starve-Review-351028.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Don-039-t-Starve-Review-351028.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dumitrescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/File-Watcher-Simple-Review-350621.shtml They say that every problem has its solution. For users that want to monitor changes made to files in a folder, there is definitely more than one solution available. But one of them is File Watcher Simple, a freebie that can be easily handled even by beginner users.

The application is portable, which eliminates the installation procedure and, together wit... (read more)]]> Fri, 3 May 2013 15:29:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/File-Watcher-Simple-Review-350621.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/File-Watcher-Simple-Review-350621.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Eador-Masters-of-the-Broken-World-Review-350878.shtml I love turn-based strategy because it gives players time to ponder their decisions and because almost all choices open up new avenues of action, new ways to interact with the game world and progress towards a goal.

Eador – Masters of the Broken World is an example of the potential of the genre, but also of how hard it is to create a... (read more)]]> Fri, 3 May 2013 14:01:03 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Eador-Masters-of-the-Broken-World-Review-350878.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Eador-Masters-of-the-Broken-World-Review-350878.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dumitrescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Poker-Night-2-Review-350533.shtml Poker Night at the Inventory was a bold experiment for Telltale Games, as it combined a regular poker simulator with different characters from other franchises or properties.

Now, after making some very successful titles like The Walking Dead, Telltale is back with Poker Night 2, a sequel that once again tasks players with competing in poker tournaments against... (read more)]]> Thu, 2 May 2013 14:31:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Poker-Night-2-Review-350533.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Poker-Night-2-Review-350533.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dobra) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/ModernMix-Review-350160.shtml For many Windows 8 users one of the problems with the modern apps is that they function in the modern screen and cannot transgress to the classic desktop. Stardock fixed this by releasing ModernMix, a nifty solution that allows you to treat Windows 8 apps as if they were regular applications.

Although it is not as popular as Start8 (reviewed here), which brings a S... (read more)]]> Wed, 1 May 2013 20:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/ModernMix-Review-350160.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/ModernMix-Review-350160.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Mars-War-Logs-Review-350113.shtml Mars: War Logs aims to be something that gaming rarely sees these days: a solid mid-budget video game with good mechanics, an interesting story and graphics good enough to keep players engaged in the long term.

The title largely succeeds it its attempt and the development team at Spiders and publisher Focus Home Interactive deserve some praise for this Xbox ... (read more)]]> Wed, 1 May 2013 14:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Mars-War-Logs-Review-350113.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Mars-War-Logs-Review-350113.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dumitrescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Far-Cry-3-Blood-Dragon-Review-349757.shtml Far Cry 3 was one of the best games of last year, delivering a realistic open world experience that put players in the shoes of Jason Brody, a regular guy who ended up on a tropical beach filled with pirates and mercenaries.

While the game went on to attract many with its realism, Ubisoft decided to take the core mechanics and repurpose them for anothe... (read more)]]> Tue, 30 Apr 2013 16:01:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Far-Cry-3-Blood-Dragon-Review-349757.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Far-Cry-3-Blood-Dragon-Review-349757.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dobra) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Quicksilver-Review-345744.shtml Apple's Spotlight selection-based search system is an easy-to-use and practical tool, but, if you want a utility that integrates within your workflow instead of breaking it apart, Quicksilver is the app for you.

Quicksilver is a productivity application designed to help you find things faster on your Mac's hard drive and enable you to perform everyday tasks quic... (read more)]]> Mon, 29 Apr 2013 16:11:01 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Quicksilver-Review-345744.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/mac/Quicksilver-Review-345744.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (George Popescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Evoland-Review-348739.shtml Ever wanted to learn more about the history of action-adventure and role-playing games, and how they evolved from rudimentary monochrome graphics to today’s 3D masterpieces?

Indie developer Shiro Games promises to take you through a brief history of the genre using elements from some of the most iconic titles (Zelda, Final Fantasy, Diablo, etc).

I... (read more)]]> Sun, 28 Apr 2013 03:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Evoland-Review-348739.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Evoland-Review-348739.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Cosmin Anton) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ashampoo-Photo-Commander-11-Review-348208.shtml Ashampoo Photo Commander 11 comes with a slightly changed interface that increases ease of use by better highlighting the functions for each module available and the utility currently accessed.

The newly released Ashampoo Photo Commander 11 went through improvements that touch on both functionality and usability.

New technology allows... (read more)]]> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:41:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ashampoo-Photo-Commander-11-Review-348208.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/windows/Ashampoo-Photo-Commander-11-Review-348208.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Ionut Ilascu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Star-Trek-The-Video-Game-Review-348819.shtml Star Trek: The Video Game lives up to the worst of the television series from which it draws inspiration but has no chance of hitting the high notes that it provided and fails to capture the magic that powered the J.J. Abrams reboot of the movie series.

The game could have been one of the lesser episodes of the original television series, but it c... (read more)]]> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 14:21:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Star-Trek-The-Video-Game-Review-348819.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Star-Trek-The-Video-Game-Review-348819.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dumitrescu) http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S-4-Review-Outstanding-All-Rounder-but-Takes-Time-to-Master-348204.shtml Samsung’s flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S 4 is about to hit shelves as one of the best Android smartphones available on the market.

The device is often compared with HTC One, its main competitor in the high-end tier category. Both smartphones have outstanding new features that compete with one anothe... (read more)]]> Thu, 25 Apr 2013 15:03:00 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S-4-Review-Outstanding-All-Rounder-but-Takes-Time-to-Master-348204.shtml Reviews http://news.softpedia.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S-4-Review-Outstanding-All-Rounder-but-Takes-Time-to-Master-348204.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Cosmin Vasile) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Dead-Island-Riptide-Review-348462.shtml Riptide is a standalone expansion for Dead Island, the game that captured players’ imagination with its superb reveal trailer.

The actual released product delivered a highly divisive experience that was hampered by some post-launch problems and by some weird design decisions, and Riptide was supposed to fix the issues and realize the potential of... (read more)]]> Thu, 25 Apr 2013 14:31:01 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Dead-Island-Riptide-Review-348462.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/games/pc/Dead-Island-Riptide-Review-348462.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Andrei Dumitrescu) http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/linux/Ubuntu-13-04-Review-348274.shtml Ubuntu 13.04 (Raring Ringtail) has been launched by Canonical, and from what we can tell so far, this is the best one yet.

We have gotten used to receiving small doses of Ubuntu every six months. The visual changes aren't significant from one version to another (with the exception of Unity), but if we compare 11.04 with 13.04, they seem to be completely differen... (read more)]]> Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:01:02 GMT Softpedia News - Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/linux/Ubuntu-13-04-Review-348274.shtml Reviews http://www.softpedia.com/reviews/linux/Ubuntu-13-04-Review-348274.shtml#review_zone Softpedia News (Silviu Stahie)