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Adobe InDesign CS5
Almost everything about InDesign CS5 is slicker, faster, and easier than in previous versions, starting with what would have seemed like no-brainers from the get-go: better object placement and manipulation. With Gridify, you can create grids of content while you're dragging a new frame: Just hit the Right Arrow key to add a new column and the Up Arrow key to add a new row, as many times as you need. (If you're using these for text, they'll even be automatically threaded together.) A sister feature, Live Distribute, lets you change the amount of space between objects without changing their size just by holding down the space bar as you drag. The Gap tool gives you fine-grained control over white space, letting you adjust it as you see fit without first having to crop or resize the objects it affects. If you turn on the new Auto Fit option, objects adjacent to that white space will resize smartly and automatically when you enlarge or shrink it.
Want to save time prettying up your pictures? InDesign CS5 has that market cornered-so to speak. With a couple of clicks, you can use Live Corner to change the radius and shape of an image's frame directly in the layout-either one at a time, or all at once. Should you change your mind, you can revert back to the original, full-size image in seconds without leaving the application. You can quickly reposition content within a frame by clicking and dragging the donut-shaped "Content Grabber" that appears when you move your mouse cursor into a frame, and a real-time crop preview shows you the final result ahead of time.
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Adobe Illustrator CS5
As the Creative Suite versions of the Adobe software mature, the list of new features for each program grows smaller, but the new features seem to be getting better. This release has some nice features, making this an important upgrade for those using Illustrator for more artistic purposes—of course, many of those features are useful for graphic designers, too. Here are the top new features for Illustrator CS5 (a.k.a. version 15).
The Perspective tools are a welcome, if not overdue, addition to the Adobe Illustrator (AI) feature set—one wonders if this feature was on the drawing board for some time or was the technology a pick-up from Adobe FreeHand MX.
Two new tools have been added: The Perspective Grid tool (Shift-P) and the Perspective Selection tool (Shift-V). The grid tools are easy to work with. The Perspective Grid tool adds a default grid to the page that can be visually modified. When a grid plane is active, many of the normal drawing tools work in perspective. When moving or scaling perspective objects, you must be sure to use the Perspective Selection tool to keep the object in perspective.
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Adobe Flash CS5
This time around, we have a unique situation where the Flash Professional (11) version has overtaken the Flash Player version (10.1). We are bound to expect more from the IDE than we are from the runtime. First of all, we have support for the newest runtimes of the Flash Platform, Flash Player 10.1, Flash Lite 4, and AIR2.
Getting the obvious out of the way, Flash Professional CS5 supports creating iPhone applications, although this might now be a useless feature considering that such applications will no longer be allowed come iPhone OS4. It is important to know that before this feature was announced during Adobe MAX 2009, such a capability was not expected, and took most people by surprise. I highly doubt Apple would have taken its current step if this feature had never been publicly announced. While this feature does make Adobe Flash Professional CS5 a unified environment for generating applications which run on all mobiles, now it is simply a unified environment for generating applications which run on all mobiles except the iPhone. Needless to say even Flash CS5 is not doomed by Apple's move, forget about CS5 or Adobe.
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Adobe Flash Catalyst CS5
Serial: 1395-4001-8359-3301-6882-0521
Flash, Adobe’s application for creating Web-based animations, has a new member to its product line with Flash Catalyst, new to the Creative Suite 5 (CS5).
The draw of Flash Catalyst CS5 over Flash Professional CS5 is that it can create interactive menus and websites without the need to write code. This makes it accessible to designers and artists who would rather focus on the imagery itself rather than the coding behind it.
Flash uses a type of code known as Actionscript. It can be used for embedding videos and audio into websites, creating interactive websites, making cartoons, and in the creation of some Web-based games. Even if you think you aren’t using Flash while browsing the Web, you probably do so regularly.
Flash Catalyst CS5 takes the technology a step further by allowing users to access the power of Flash without needing to master Actionscript code—although it still allows users to utilize the code if they’d like.
It should be noted, however, that the application is not really for creating things such as cartoons or games. It’s more for making interactive menus, buttons, and websites.
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Adobe Contribute CS5
Serial: 1188-1001-8428-4361-2308-0839
The most welcome enhancement is subtle but important. Contribute’s built-in browser is now based on Webkit, the same rendering engine that powers Safari, Google Chrome, and iOS and Android mobile devices. This greatly improves the fidelity of viewing pages. Besides the built-in view, you can, as usual, preview with other browsers on your computer. But now you can open your page for preview in multiple browsers with a single action. Mac Contribute users are shortchanged here; on Windows, Contribute provides a three-pane view that simultaneously shows Webkit, Internet Explorer, and Firefox page renderings in the document window. Unfortunately, Contribute is not integrated with Adobe’s BrowserLab online Web page previewing service, as is Dreamweaver CS5.
Contribute can now edit the content of interactive interface elements, such as menus, text and image content areas, and animated panels, created by a designer in Dreamweaver, using Adobe’s Spry JavaScript framework. For example, the designer could drop a Spry menu widget into the page with boilerplate content, and Contribute users can rename, add, and subtract the menu items, and change the links to suit their own needs. Dreamweaver CS5 now supports inserting and modifying widgets from other JavaScript frameworks, such as jQuery, but Contribute does not.
Previously, the content of server-side includes (SSI) – files that reside on the server and are interpreted by it to place their content on multiple site pages (think page headers or footers) – were off limits. Contribute CS5 identifies SSI content and lets you edit them like any other page element.
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Adobe Soundbooth CS5
Serial: 1332-1281-2401-7141-7851-9214
Adobe Encore CS5
Serial: 1132-1127-8739-4724-1356-4304
Adobe Dreamweaver CS5
Serial: 1192-1927-7762-6383-0202-0474
What new territory is there to explore with Web-design software? With so many of the essential foundations in place, there's not much justification for changing anything except the adding or improving of support for emerging technologies. The upside of this is that when you have a solid, thorough product, like Adobe's Dreamweaver, it's hard to go too far wrong with any developments—as the CS5 version ($399 list new, $199 list upgrade) proves. Most of its changes won't be visible to—or even detectable by—novices, but that's okay. What might be more of a problem with this version, the most complete and complex yet, is its suitability for novices at all.
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Adobe Fireworks CS5
Serial: 1193-1927-7762-6383-0202-0437
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, or you are not a Web designer or working in a related field, you cannot have missed the announcement of Adobe’s new Creative Suite 5 a few weeks ago. I have been using two products in the suite for a while now, including of course, Fireworks CS5. As is becoming a tradition here on pixelyzed.com, here are my thoughts on the new version as well as a few thoughts on the future…
The first thing you need to know about this version is that, unlike other applications in the CS5 Suites, Fireworks CS5 doesn’t have big shiny new features. As Fireworks Program Manager Bruce Bowman has stated in his “Introducing Adobe Fireworks CS5” article from mid-April, Fireworks CS5 is a release that focuses on “Stability, Performance and Polish”. It may not sound sexy but I assure you that the team delivered. Fireworks CS5 is by far the most stable version yet and many long-standing bugs have been addressed and, all in all, over 900 of them have been fixed!
The new features Fireworks CS5 does have may not be earth shattering but, they are welcome additions that will help many users in their everyday work. Some of the most noteworthy for me include:
- Snap to pixel
- Compound Shapes
- Stroke Alignment
- Adobe Swatch Exchange (ASE) file support
- Many small improvements to Pages, Layers, Slices and more…
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Adobe Creative Suite CS5
Serials:1325-1118-5864-4422-1094-1166
1325-1558-5864-4422-1094-1126
1325-1958-5864-4422-1094-1178
1325-1558-5864-4422-1094-1126
1325-1958-5864-4422-1094-1178
Often when software gets to be of a certain age—or a certain version number—it starts showing its wrinkles, even if it's dressed up in snazzy new clothes and sports some shiny new skills. Not so with Adobe's Creative Suite 5: Comprising over a dozen of the most powerful design and production apps on the market, all of which (except Acrobat) have received some degree of tweaking to improve the way they work alone and together, it looks as bright-eyed and optimistic as a kid on summer vacation. Windows and Mac users across a dizzying array of disciplines—from photo editing to publishing to film editing—will find something to help them, and will probably find something in CS5 they hadn't previously thought possible. With apps available individually or as part of several expansive collections, there's something for everyone who wants to do creative work faster, smarter, and better.
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ESET NOD32 Antivirus 4
Username: EAV-33774158
Key: 7arku5nrh3
Key: 7arku5nrh3
As far as reputations go, ESET's NOD32 is practically unimpeachable. Version 4 of the popular and effective antivirus and antispyware builds on that rep, emphasizing its community-sourced ThreatSense for preventing attacks before they occur, a slick interface, and some of the highest independently-tested detection rates married to low rates of false positives.
Installation is clean and straightforward. Greatly improved from its humble beginnings as separate scanners that once littered the desktop, NOD32 can be toggled between standard features and more advanced options. Scans were neither blazingly fast nor excruciatingly slow, but the real-time defenses produced no noticeable drags on system performance. NOD32 has consistently scored near the top of several independent antivirus testing organization ratings for finding the most malware. An uninstallation option is available, requiring a reboot. However, we found residual system files and Registry settings that had to be deleted by hand.
If you're confident in your clicking habits, you might not necessarily miss the firewall and spam filter that ESET built into its Smart Security suite that's based on NOD32. Even without them, though, NOD32's speed, accuracy, and lack of impact on resources make it a must.
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Camtasia Studio v.7.1.0.1631
Serial: ACRCA-53DCD-H89V8-888EL-7MCCA
When it comes to producing professional-looking movies and demos from your computer screen, TechSmith's Camtasia Studio continues to strike the right balance between a powerful toolset and ease of use. Version 7.1 adds even more features without making the app any more complex to use.
The feature-packed screencast app--which includes HD production settings--does have a learning curve, but the user-friendly interface and front-and-center icons for most-used tools go a long way toward lowering the intimidation factor a notch. Plus, TechSmith povides a useful online help center that includes several video tutorials that do a nice job walking users through the main functionality of the software.
Even better, when you first launch Camtasia Studio 7.1, you're greeted with an integrated tutorial video that helps get you acquainted with the software. The main window features a content area in the upper right that showcases a variety of options. Here, you can view the clip bin, access your content library, and tweak features such as callouts, zoom-n-pan, audio, and transitions. TechSmith populates a variety templates, music, and outros supplied from a third-party vendor known as Digital Juice, with additional content available for purchase.
As for feature updates, there are quite a few for such a relatively minor boost in version number. Camtasia now includes the ability to record system audio, as well as automatically resize windows during recording. Plus, you get the option to "smartfocus" on key frames and add close captions to your presentation. Additonally, the app offers speech-to-text with a voice training feature; auto output to more formats, such as the iPad; and the ability to overlay text and search within Flash video.
Beyond these additions, Camtasia Studio remains largely the same powerhouse for creating and producing screencasts for the Web, mobile phones, and DVDs. Well-rounded production settings continue to present presets for novices; additional applications, like an audio editor and the CD MenuMaker, round out the features.
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Lavalys EVEREST Corporate Edition v.5.50.2225
Serial: W46ZR3CX47CT4AUP4MLFY4K9K
Imagine taking the world's most comprehensive physical examination--a massive battery of diagnostics yielding hundreds of pages of precision data. This exam would provide doctors the information they need to treat your health problems while practicing preventive care. If done regularly, these exams would enable you to live a longer, healthier life. Regarding your health, you would feel a deep sense of security... you would feel "in control". Of course, such exams require more time and money than most people have to spend. But what if the doctor could simply wave a magic diagnostic wand over your body, and instantly produce and record the same information? Wouldn't you do it every day? Wouldn't we all? EVEREST Corporate Edition is the "magic wand" for managing and securing your IT assets. With EVEREST Corporate Edition, IT administrators use an "all-in-one" solution to obtain a 360???? view of an organization's IT properties in order to diagnose problems, mitigate risks and plan for the future. To do so, EVEREST Corporate Edition provides important security alerts and information while automating the time-consuming yet critical processes of network audit, system diagnostics, change management, license management, and overall IT administration. EVEREST Corporate Edition is the most accurate and straight forward network audit solution on the market today. It is used throughout the world by small and large enterprises alike to manage IT networks of all sizes. Join the ever growing list of happy EVEREST customers and reach sky high efficiency for your IT assets!
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AVG Internet Security 2011
Serial: 8MEH-RS47Y-82HT8-GONVA-BCCCZ-DEMBR-ACED
Although AVG has flagged a little in the past few years, AVG Internet Security 2011 breathes some new life into one of the most popular security programs around with a shorter install, better usability, and faster scans.
The never-ending mantra chanted by security suite vendors sounds a lot like "faster scans, easier to use, better performance," and AVG has released a new version that it says accomplishes all three. Certainly, the scans are faster, it does install more quickly, and some tweaks to the interface have made it easier to use. However, changes to the engine that powers the detection and removal of threats has made it hard to come to a conclusion until independent labs return their efficacy results later this year.
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ESET Smart Security 4
Number: TRIAL-38603418
Password: a25rs76sbt
ESET's Smart Security takes the structure built by their popular antivirus program NOD32 and adds on two wings: a personal firewall and a spam filter. Because much of Smart Security is the same as NOD32, this review will focus only on the firewall and spam filter.
The firewall's advanced settings are Smart Security's strength. Users can extensively customize the firewall's behavior, but don't have to. There are five default settings: automatic, automatic with user-defined exceptions, interactive, policy-based, and learning. You can set safe zones, configure remote desktop access, and manage intrusion detection, all from an uncluttered and easy-to-use menu. ESET chose usability over flashiness with its design, and users can jump between advanced options for any of Smart Security's tools from the same pane.
The antispam filter is similarly effective and configurable. The program can automatically mark outgoing addresses as safe, as well as detect global address books. Smart Security is surprisingly light, consuming around 50MB of RAM when running, and users should note that NOD32 has consistently scored near the top of several independent antivirus testing organization ratings for finding the most malware while encountering fewer false positives than most. Uninstallation is still tricky, unfortunately, leaving behind residual system files and Registry settings. Still, for getting all your security tools in one box, Smart Security is an effective and well-respected choice.
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Avast Antivirus Professional Edition
Serial:
W1208070R9900D1199
An A-list antivirus, Avast Professional 5 provides steadfast protection and a robust selection of features. This version is the paid upgrade of the better-known Avast Free, and includes several additional features. It doesn't have all of Avast's available features, and that last batch has been saved for another paid upgrade, Avast Internet Security.
Avast Professional protects you with multiple guards. The antivirus, antispyware, and heuristics engines form a security core that also includes multiple real-time shields. The adjustable mail and file system shields join the pre-existing behavior, network, instant messaging, peer-to-peer (P2P), script, and Web shields. The behavioral shield is a common-sense feature, as security software publishers leverage their large user bases to detect threats early and warn others. Other new features include a silent/gaming mode, a testing sandbox, a firewall, antispam measures, and an "intelligent scanner" that only looks at changed files after establishing a baseline. Users should note that Avast Internet Security is the higher-end version of Avast's two paid programs. Avast Professional 5 includes the sandbox and script shield, but not the firewall or antispam features.
The biggest change in Avast 5, though, is the interface. Gone is the music player default look, which was skinnable but confusing, and in its place is a sleek UI that new users should find far more manageable. It's also Aero-friendly, with Explorer-style navigation buttons in case you can't remember where you tweaked a particular setting.
Avast has been reliably effective, and recent independent efficacy tests indicate that it can hold its own against Symantec's Norton and other popular brands. The price of this version is comparable to those, too, albeit slightly cheaper in some cases. If you want the extra protection offered here and value the brand name, Avast Professional 5 is worth the cost if you're buying for just one computer.
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BS Player v.2.56
Serial:
2992A2872FA9FE7206233A0A8978E84AA25DB1DA2351
Several years ago, BS.Player used to be one of the better multicodec free video playback applications around. It then started to be bundled with adware, popularity dropped, and other programs took up its slack. BS.Player returns now with a free version, a new interface, and new jukebox capabilities for video and audio.
The interface loads as a refurbished skin of the original dashboard, and you can even reskin the it back to its original look. Track name, length, and time elapsed are front and center, and clicking on various features, such as the elapsed time, cycles through display options. Note that the Menu tab is hidden until you mouse over it. Player controls live at the bottom, and a tab of gray options on the right expands to reveal further options for Video, DVD, Audio, Radio, and TV playback. Three circles marked ML, PL, and EQ toggle the detached Media Library, Playlist, and Equalizer panes.
The installation process checks your system for missing codecs, although you have to opt out of a BS.Player toolbar. We had no issues drag-drop-and-playing various Real, Quicktime, AVI, WMV, and MPEG-formatted videos. Also note that the new Media Library window owes much to iTunes. There's not much you can do about that, since the included skins only change the look of the dashboard. BS.Player lacks modern ancillary media functions such as seeking out album art, but you can configure ID3 tags natively. If you're feeling nostalgic for a stable media player with a familiar name but updated look and features, you can be bullish on BS.Player.
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Adobe Acrobat Reader Pro 9
Serial:
1118-1905-0841-9679-7056-1416
The introduction of Adobe Acrobat 9 document-creation software could do for PDFs what the Jazz Singer did for movies. For the first time, PDFs can "talk" via embedded Flash video and Shockwave animation. In turn, users of Version 9 of the nearly ubiquitous and free Acrobat Reader will be able to watch movies, play interactive games, and run applications baked into PDFs without opening a third-party media player.
Among the many new, dynamic features to justify a business purchase of Acrobat 9 include dynamic maps, enhanced 256-bit encryption, and improved forms. On top of it all, Adobe offers an online community at Acrobat.com that facilitates online collaboration so users can store documents and literally work on the same page at the same time.
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